The worsening of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, asked the Russian army in the region. It is waiting for Russian military actions that will stop the violation of the regime of silence on the line of contact. According to him, it is necessary to coordinate the details of the operation of the Russian contingent.
“A series of events that have taken place in Nagorno-Karabakh since 2020, including the last few days, raises questions in the Armenian public about the content and nature of the peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh. In this context, it is urgently necessary to agree on the details of the peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh.– aforementioned he is at a government meeting.
On August 3, 2022, the Azerbaijani army carried out Operation Revenge in response to the actions of the Nagorno-Karabakh armed formations in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers. As a result, a number of dominant heights were brought under control. According to the Armenian side, two soldiers were martyred and 19 soldiers were injured.
Pashinyan added that Yerevan expects the Russian army to suppress violations on the line of contact in Karabakh.
“The third paragraph of the tripartite statement of 9 November 2020 clearly states that there is a line of contact with peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is this territory that is called the zone of responsibility of the peacekeeping unit of the Russian Federation. We expect any attempt to breach the contact line to be stopped by the Russian peacekeepers and the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani troops inside this line,” he said.
Tension in the region
In 2020, fighting resumed in Karabakh and became a continuation of a protracted conflict, resulting in civilian casualties. The parties signed a tripartite agreement on the night of 10 November. With the mediation of Moscow, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on a complete ceasefire and the exchange of the bodies of the prisoners and the dead. He transferred Yerevan, Kelbajar, Lachin and Agdam regions to Baku. In addition, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region.
Pashinyan also described the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh as extremely difficult. “As you know, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and its environs has deteriorated in recent days. As a result of the clashes, 2 soldiers of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army were martyred and 19 people were injured,” he said.
According to him, there is currently no active hostilities along the line of contact, but “the situation, according to Nagorno-Karabakh officials, is extremely tense.” “We must work to alleviate this tense situation,” he said.
He also noted that the Armenian army did not serve in Nagorno-Karabakh. “Azerbaijan is talking about the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army today, why is it deployed along the line of contact. I think that if the Russian Federation and the Azerbaijani peacekeeping unit guarantee the inviolability of the contact line, the defense army will not have to carry out combat duty. I also officially declare that there are no soldiers from Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
According to him, Baku is trying to disrupt the implementation of the tripartite statement on Karabakh. Considering the statement of 9 November 2020 as its victory, Azerbaijan aims to nullify this statement and avoid the implementation of the points stated in this statement.
According to him, Yerevan will not refuse to establish peace in the region and will continue to fulfill the terms of the tripartite agreement.
He also said that Armenia is ready to establish communication between the west of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan. Azerbaijan says that Armenia has promised to provide a link between the west of this country and Nakhchivan. Yes, we have such obligations and are prepared to fulfill them even today. It is Azerbaijan that does not use this opportunity. Even today, we say that within the framework of Armenian legislation, you can cross the border with Armenia and go to Nakhchivan.”
shootings Chronicle
On July 28, the bombardment in the region intensified when the Armenian Ministry of Defense accused the Azerbaijani side of bombing their villages east of the border. The Armenpress agency later reported that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces carried out a 20-minute bombardment of settlements in the Khojavend region. There were no casualties as a result of the bombardment. On July 30 and 31, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan accused the Armenian side of bombing the village in Karabakh, and then its army, there was no information about the casualties.
On August 2, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that a Karabakh soldier was wounded during the shelling of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. During the day, three violations of the silence regime were recorded. On August 3, the Azerbaijani army reported that its soldiers were killed as a result of the morning shelling of “Armenian armed formations”.
Subsequently, the parties repeatedly accused each other of bombing and non-compliance with the November 2020 tripartite agreements. On 3 August, the European Union called for an end to hostilities in the region. They noted that the EU stands ready to assist in achieving sustainable peace and stability in the South Caucasus and to continue its involvement. On August 4, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop hostilities and find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.