No signs of de-escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh | 320 Armenians fell on the battlefield

Defence Redefined

Published on 08/10/2020 at 17:30

Armenians and Azeris fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh today gave no indication of a ceasefire prior to the first meeting of international mediators in Geneva aiming to resolve the conflict.

The Azeri bombing continued overnight against the capital of the autonomous region, Stepanakert, and in residential areas in Azerbaijan, according to AFP reporters and local authorities respectively.

Representatives of the mediators in the conflict, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, United States, France) are meeting today in Geneva with Azeri Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bairamov.

The international group of mediators has been trying to find a negotiated solution to the conflict since the mid-1990s. A first war between Armenian separatists and Azeri forces, after the fall of the USSR, had caused 30,000 deaths.

“The purpose of the visit is (…) to present Azerbaijan’s position on resolving the conflict,” Azerbaijani diplomacy said.

Azerbaijan says it is determined to recapture Karabakh, an autonomous region mostly inhabited by Armenians, and says only a withdrawal of separatist and Armenian troops can end the conflict.

The bombing continues

A spokesman for Armenian diplomacy ruled out a meeting of Azeri and Armenian ministers in Geneva, saying “one cannot negotiate with one hand and conduct military operations with the other,” denouncing Azerbaijan’s attack on Karabakh.

Therefore, Armenia is not expected to be represented today by a high-ranking official.

The head of the Armenian diplomacy, on the other hand, is expected to be received on Monday, December 12, in Moscow by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he hoped the Geneva-Moscow talks could “conclude negotiations”.

On the ground, there is still turmoil on the twelfth day of fighting and bombing, which also affects civilians on both sides of the front.

According to the separatist authorities, half of the approximately 140,000 inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh have been displaced by the conflict.

Stepanakert, the capital of the self-proclaimed republic, was once again the target of Azeri bombings overnight, AFP reporters stated.

Throughout the night, alarm sirens were heard at regular intervals followed by loud explosions.

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The type of weapons used is still not determined, but local authorities report strikes to Armenian zones from 300mm “Smerch” rockets.

Unexploded ordnance, apparently of this type, can be seen in the city, while houses have been hit by such fires, with craters sometimes reaching tens of meters, an indication of the power of the bombs used.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) also regularly fly over the city, mostly during the day, launching apparently more targeted fire.

The Azeri side also accuses the separatists of “shooting in residential areas” such as Bardisk, Agnabedin, Goranboy, Tartar and Agdam.

“There are dead and wounded,” according to the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry.

On the same front, the Karabakh Defence Ministry described the situation as “stable but tense overnight. Battles were repeated (in the morning) in the north and south,” he said.

Azeri authorities have reported the deaths of 30 civilians after fighting broke out on September 27 in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan also announced the wounding of 143 civilians but did not disclose information about its military casualties.

Nagorno-Karabakh announced yesterday, Wednesday, that since September 27 the number of its military casualties has risen to 320. Also, 19 civilians have been killed and many more have been injured.

Both camps claim to have each killed thousands of enemy soldiers.

Abroad, the fear is that the conflict will extend on an international level in an area where Russians, Turks, Iranians and Westerners all have interests. Especially since Ankara encourages Baku to attack and Moscow is linked to a military treaty with Yerevan.

Turkey has already been accused of participating in the conflict with men and equipment.

Vladimir Putin warned that if hostilities spread beyond Karabakh to Armenian territory, Moscow would meet its “obligations” stemming from its alliance with Yerevan.

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Source: ANA MPA