A week after the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, in a statement, pledged to adhere to international calls for ceasefires during the global COVID-19 crisis, Azerbaijani forces launched mortar attacks on Thursday against Artsakh positions.
According to the Artsakh Defense Ministry, at 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday. and, again, at 5:25 p.m., Azerbaijani forces used what was described as 60 millimeter mortars to fire on Artsakh Armed Forces positions in the eastern front of Martuni.
Artsakh soldiers retaliated and repelled the attacks. The Artsakh Defense Ministry reported no casualties.
Wednesday’s attack was the first time since June that the Azerbaijani armed forces have used mortars, while other ceasefire violations by Azerbaijani forces have been regularly reported.
Last week, the Air Defense unit of the Artsakh Armed Forces reported downing an Azerbaijani drone, with defense officials in Stepanakert reporting an increase in aerial reconnaissance missions by Azerbaijan. The incident took place hours before the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov were to hold a video conference, with the participation of the Minsk Group Co-chairmen, to discuss the current stage of the Karabakh conflict settlement process.
That same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that both parties were working toward a phased approach to the Karabakh settlement, which entails a so-called “return of territories” to Azerbaijan. Mnatsakanyan refuted Lavrov’s statement, and a day later, the foreign ministry said that a phased—or stage-by-stage—approach to conflict settlement was not on the negotiating table and was rejected by Yerevan.
order from Moscow
YUP..Look at the timing..
1. Azerbaijan was talking about buying Russian military planes..
2. Russia needs Azerbaijan cooperation to reduce oil production to prop up decimated oil prices
3. Just a reminder to Armenian whose the boss.. Mother Russia. Because Russia also understands that Turks directly under its soft belly is disaster form Russia too..
As always when I hear the Azerbaijanis have killed or wounded a soldier I get sad, frustrated and mad. I feel like they killed or injured a member of my family.
Azerbaijanis in spite of repeated promises, they break the cease fire, sometime even during the peace negotiations. This time they even used mortars, luckily we had no casualties or injuries. As usual the Artsakh soldiers have retaliated and repelled the attack. How come we are always only “retaliating and repelling” the attack and not going beyond? This has been going on for decades and causing subtatial harm to the soldiers and civilians if not phycically, definitely morally. I think it is time to go beyond retaliation and repel. We should counterattack and cause substantial harm to stop them from attacking in any shape or form. Enough is Enough.
Bedros Kojian, M.D.
Fire the. With bigger and more weapons till they get hit so hard they will beg for mercy before we annilate all their ears
The “phased approach” is a gift to Azerbaijan and further tightens the noose around Armenia, and must be ignored at all cost. (Never forget what Russia just said)…The countering to that nonsense which needs to be said is that a phased approach will only introduce unnecessary, uncharted complexity to an already complex protracted situation. Instead, what is better is a “universal all encompassing approach” where everyone understands and agrees on a final phase, an approach which MUST INCLUDE a free and independent Arstakh at its core and recognized by the international community as such. Nothing less will be acceptable from here forward.
(Diaspora military units NOW!..UNITY ALWAYS…)
You’re a doctor. Not a general. I wish some Armenians in the USA would get some military experience in the US and then come fight for Artsakh. Would be nice to have the discipline and knowledge of the world’s strongest army.
Artsakh forces are there to hold the line not extend it further ~ when Azeri Turks snipe or attack the line ~ Artsakh responds to silence the offending weapon or force ~ that’s what they are there for ~ God love them “`