Ongoing hostilities and accusations regarding Nagorno Karabakh

Defence Redefined

14/10/2020

Russia today issued a new appeal to Armenia and Azerbaijan to end hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, as the warring parties have once again blamed each other for new ceasefire violations.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made the call in a telephone conversation with his counterparts in Armenia and Azerbaijan, during which he called on the two countries to “fulfill their commitments” under the humanitarian truce agreed on Sunday under the auspices of Russia.

Each side denies violating the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, although Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has said his country’s army is continuing operations.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Defence has accused Azeri forces of launching rocket and mortar attacks in several areas. Security officials said their forces shot down an Azeri Su-25 fighter jet, but Baku denied this.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry also blamed Armenian forces for new attacks on Azeri army positions along the front line, and complained that the Tartar, Agdam and Agzabedi areas within the country were under fire. The prosecutor’s office in Azerbaijan also announced the death of another civilian and the injury of several others, including journalists.

Missile launch sites

The Azeri Defence Ministry also said it had struck two rocket launcher posts today, which were being used by Armenia to target residential areas. He even stressed that he would destroy all the military posts that Yerevan uses to target civilians.

Armenia has confirmed that areas in its territory have been hit, but has denied that it has hit Azerbaijan, saying it now “reserves the right to target any military infrastructure or equipment on Azerbaijani territory.”

Turkey- Russia

Meanwhile, in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pasinian accused Turkey, which backs Azerbaijan, of expansionist tendencies in the South Caucasus.

Today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow disagreed with Turkey’s position in Nagorno-Karabakh and added that a military solution was unacceptable.

“We do not agree with the position expressed by Turkey, which has been expressed several times by President Aliyev,” Lavrov said. “It is no secret that we cannot agree with a statement that a military solution to the conflict is allowed.”

Lavrov added that it would be right to send Russian troops as observers to the front line in Nagorno-Karabakh, but explained that this would be decided by Armenia and Azerbaijan.

On his part, the Azeri president said today that Turkey should take part in the talks on Nagorno-Karabakh and that the conflict could not be resolved without its contribution.

In an interview with Turkish television network Haberturk, Aliyev noted that Turkish F-16 fighter jets are in Azerbaijan but have not been used in the conflict.

Finally, in the same interview, he warned that Armenia is trying to attack his country’s gas pipelines and stressed that the consequences will be very serious if the Armenians put them under their control.

“Armenia is trying to attack and bring our pipelines under its control,” Aliyev said. “If Armenia tries to bring the pipelines under its control there, I can say that the consequences will be serious.”

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Source: ANA MPA