Category: News

The State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic issued the following statement today:

On April 10, in accordance with the arrangement reached earlier, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman in Office, carried out the exchange of bodies of the deceased between the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan near the Bash Karvend settlement. The bodies of 18 servicemen of the NKR Defense Army, fallen as a result of the large scale military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan in April 2-5, were transferred to the NKR side during the exchange.

At the presence of the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the NKR State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons registered that all bodies of the deceased transferred by the Azerbaijani side had signs of torture and mutilation.

Those acts, being a flagrant manifestation of inhumanity, run counter to the laws and customs of war and are in grave violation of the international humanitarian law, in particular, the Convention (I) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field (1949), Geneva Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (1949) and the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I).

The Karabakh side will seek to ensure that such behavior of the Azerbaijani side is condemned in strongest terms by the international community and the specialized agencies, and those responsible are brought into account.

Following a meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Bureau in Copenhagen, Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) and the OSCE PA Special Representative on the South Caucasus, Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria), reiterated the Assembly’s hopes for a sustained ceasefire and willingness to contribute to efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“My colleagues and I are united in our hope for a complete cessation of hostilities. The human toll that continued fighting – not only in the past week, but over more than 20 years – is having on the people in the region is simply not tolerable. We owe it to those who regularly suffer from this violence to take a forward-looking approach on ways to find a peaceful settlement,” said President Kanerva.

The OSCE PA Bureau, consisting of the President, Vice-Presidents and Committee Officers of the Assembly, heard a report by Special Representative Vigenin on recent developments in the zone of conflict.

“The very significant increase in violence last week underlines the need for a rapid return to the political process. While immediate efforts are understandably concentrated on halting hostilities, I intend to continue working at the parliamentary level to encourage increased political will from the sides in the region to engage in serious efforts to negotiate a comprehensive settlement within the framework of the Minsk Group. The rapid agreement on confidence building-measures to reduce the risk for further hostilities can be an important first step in this direction, and we stand ready to contribute to all these efforts,” said Special Representative Vigenin.

The President and Special Representative expressed their support for the continued work of the Minsk Group and its Co-Chairs to facilitate a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Vigenin reported to the OSCE PA Bureau that he would maintain contact with parliamentary colleagues from Armenia and Azerbaijan, and intends to continue discussions during the Assembly’s 25^th Annual Session, to be held in Tbilisi from 1-5 July.

The OSCE PA Bureau meets each year in April, to discuss ongoing work and to plan for the Assembly’s Annual Session.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to take efforts to promote normalization of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday after their telephone conversation, TASS reports.

“The two top diplomats hailed the agreement on cessation of hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and agreed to take efforts to promote normalization of the situation in the regions,” the Ministry said, adding that the two top diplomats also discussed other issues on the common agenda.

President of the Republic of Armenia, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Serzh Sargsyan visited the Ministry of Defense today.

Serzh Sargsyan was briefed on the steps the Armenian Armed Forces are taking. The President gave corresponding instructions.

The Armenian Community of Barcelona held a memorial service for the soldiers and the innocent civilians who were killed during the recent Azerbaijani offensive against Nagorno Karabakh.

Also there was special Prayer Service for the Steadfast Peace in Armenia and Artsakh, the Armenian Cultural Association of Barcelona informs.

The Armenian Defense Ministry reports that tensions were reduced along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border last night.

Only several shots were registered in the northeastern part of the border. No shooting was reported at the Armenia-Nakhijevan borderline.

The front divisions of the Armenian Armed Forces confidently control the situation at the border and resort to retaliatory measures only in case of extreme necessity.

Today is the 24th anniversary of the Maragha massacre.

Twenty-four years ago, on 10 April, the village of Maragha located in the Martakert region of Nagorno Karabakh was attacked by the Azerbaijani forces. This was one of the most tragic episodes of Azerbaijan’s military aggression against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

On April 10, 1992, after intensive artillery shelling the Azerbaijani armed units invaded the peaceful village and committed a ruthless reprisal over defenseless people.

The Maragha Massacre was the mass murder of ethnic Armenian civilians. Up to now the Azerbaijani government has not received deserved punishment by the international community.

Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), has expressed solidarity with Artsakh.

“Yesterday, more than 3,000, including these fantastic interns from ANCA Western Region, gathered in front of the Azerbaijani Consulate on Wilshire to protest Baku’s attacks on Artsakh. We are all united for peace and justice. We are#ArtsakhStrong,” Rep. wrote as a caption to the photo he shared on Facebook.

Adam Schiff earlier released a statement condemning the Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno Karabakh.

““Until Azerbaijan faces strong and meaningful consequences over their policy of escalation and violence and its self-serving refusal to agree to international monitoring of the Line of Contact, there is little chance of resolving the conflict and avoiding further bloodshed. The true victims of this policy are the people of Artsakh who simply want to live free of sniper fire and mortar barrages and to exercise their right of self-determination,” Schiff said in the statement.

A massive fire swept through a temple in India’s southern Kerala state on Sunday, killing nearly 100 people and injuring more than 200 who had gathered for a fireworks display to mark the start of the local Hindu new year, Reuters reports.

Thousands of devotees had packed into the Puttingal Devi temple in the coastal district of Kollam. The fireworks display began at midnight and went on for hours.

The fire started when one of the crackers fell onto a shed where the fireworks were stored, said residents near the temple site, about 70 km from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

The agreement on ceasefire was mostly respected at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan last night.

The NKR Ministry of Defense reports that the rival violated the ceasefire in the northern line of the line of contact, opening fire from 82mm mortars and 12 mm D-30 howitzers.

the front divisions of the NKR Defense Army remain committed to the agreement on ceasefire and confidently carry out their tasks.