On the night of September 13, military clashes began between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Each side blames the other for starting hostilities. Yesterday, the actions unfolded outside of Nagorny-Karabakh.
The Armenian Defense Ministry was the first to report about the shelling. According to the ministry, Baku used artillery, large-caliber and small arms, and drones. The strikes were carried out on civilian infrastructure.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the escalation of the conflict by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, European Council President Charles Michel, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had two telephone conversations with Sergey Lavrov. He also spoke with CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov.
Azerbaijan, in its turn, announced the sabotage of the Armenian Armed Forces in the Dashkesan, Kalbajar and Lachin directions, appealing to the fact that, according to its data, Yerevan mined the routes between the positions of the Azerbaijani army and their supply.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Armenia appealed to the Russian Federation, the CSTO and the UN Security Council.
The Investigative Committee of Armenia opened a case under the articles «War crimes using prohibited methods of warfare» and «Aggression» due to shelling by the Azerbaijani army.
The United States promised Pashinyan assistance in ending hostilities at the border and a political settlement and called on Aliyev to stop hostilities. Macron also urges Aliyev to return to the ceasefire.
Armenia applied to the CSTO under Article 4 to restore the country’s territorial integrity and ensure the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani military from Armenia.
The CSTO countries agreed to send a mission to Armenia led by the Secretary General. It was also agreed to create a working group of the headquarters to monitor the situation in connection with the aggravation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia said today that Yerevan asked Russia to fulfill some of the provisions of the military alliance, since the territorial integrity of Armenia is under the threat.
The fighting continues. There are civilian casualties. Approximately 2,750 residents of the border villages of Armenia were evacuated due to shelling. In addition, today Baku launched offensive operations in Karabakh.
The losses of the Armenian side amounted to 105 people, Pashinyan said.
Baku, in turn, announces its readiness to transfer the bodies of about 100 Armenian servicemen to Yerevan.
At the moment, the situation on the border has become extremely aggravated, the Armenian Defense Ministry confirmed the fact of an Azerbaijani strike on the car of the Russian FSB.