The Azerbaijan army assured this Tuesday that there was taken more than 60 positions Armenians in its offensive in Nagorno Karabakhan enclave in dispute with Armenia for decades.
“More than 60 combat positions of the Armenian (separatist) forces are now under the control of our armed forces,” said an Azerbaijani defense ministry spokesman. Anar Eyvazovin a press conference.
While, Karabakh authorities put the death toll at 25 in the operation launched on Tuesday by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh.
Among the dead in what he called “large-scale aggression” are two civilians, reported Guegam Stepanian, Ombudsman of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno Karabakh, on his account on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Stepanian assures that the information comes directly from the morgue in Stepanakert (Jankendi), the Karabakh capital, which was subject to intense bombing during the day on Tuesday.
To this we must add 138 injured, of them 29 civiliansdistributed between the regional hospitals of Stepanakert and Martakert.
The Karabakh authorities They accused the Azerbaijani army of using missiles, artillery, combat aviation and drones against its territory, which proclaimed independence in 1991, but which has not been recognized by the international community.
This Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced an operation in this enclave where nearly 120,000 people live. The Armenian government accused Baku of launching an “aggression” that “aims to complete the policy of ethnic cleansing” of Nagorno (Upper) Karabakh.
In addition, Armenia called on Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh to “take clear and unequivocal measures” to end “Azerbaijan’s aggression” against this territory.
Baku’s attack against the Armenian enclave comes after a ten-month blockade to which the Azerbaijani authorities subjected the Karabakhis after the closure of the Lachin corridor – the only route that linked the region with Armenia -, causing a severe humanitarian crisis.
The Nagorno-Karabakh authorities asked Baku to cease hostilities and start negotiations. “The Karabakh side addresses Azerbaijan with the call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and settlement of the current situation at the negotiating table,” says the statement from the Nagorno-Karabakh Information Center.
Protests and riots in Armenia
Thousands of people gathered in Yerevan in front of the headquarters of the Government of Armenia and They have tried to break into it in protest against the Executive after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in Nagorno Karabakh.
The situation in the vicinity of the Government headquarters was tense, because after the attempt to break into the building Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces.
Part of the population dissatisfied with Prime Minister Pashinian has taken to the streets in protest against the latest events in the separatist region of Nagorno Karabakh – officially known as Artsakh.
Armenian opposition deputies, such as the leader of the Movement to Save the Homeland, Vazgen Manukianor the leader of Mother Armenia, Andranik Tevanian, have joined the concentration. Tevanian called for support for the protest and promised to “resolve the problem with a clear roadmap and achieve Pashinian’s resignation.”
The prime minister accused this Tuesday that there have been calls to carry out a “coup d’état” from different areas of the country after the Azeri authorities launched the military operation in Nagorno Karabakh.
For this reason, he has asked the Armenian population to act with “sobriety” and “maintain composure”, while urging “not to fall into provocations to prevent some forces from putting Armenia under attack”. Furthermore, he regretted that “there is a certain lack of information” because part of the communication system “has been damaged by the attacks in Nagorno Karabakh.”
The president assured that there are currently “internal and external” forces that are trying to “drag Armenia into war.” “But they are not going to get it”he assured, adding that “no matter how difficult it may be on an emotional level, external forces should not be given the opportunity to “endanger” the existence of the Armenian State.
The US called for a cessation of hostilities while Türkiye supports Azerbaijan
The American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, demanded that Baku cease hostilities in the Nagorno Karabakh region and accused Ilham Aliyev’s government of putting peace with Armenia at risk.
“The United States is deeply concerned about Azerbaijan’s military actions in Nagorno Karabakh and urges Azerbaijan to immediately cease such actions,” Blinken, who is in New York participating in the UN General Assembly, said in a statement.
The head of American diplomacy reproached that This operation is “worsening the already critical humanitarian situation” in the region and is “squandering the chances of peace.”: “As we have already warned Azerbaijan, the use of force to resolve disputes is unacceptable and goes against attempts to create the conditions for a just peace.”
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoganan ally of Aliyev, expressed his support for Azerbaijan: “We support the measures taken by Azerbaijan (…) to defend its territorial integrity.”
“Karabakh is an Azerbaijani territory. The imposition of another statute will never be accepted,” he added.
Shortly before, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had described as “legitimate” the “concerns” that led Azerbaijan to launch the offensive.
“As a consequence of the legitimate and justified concerns that it has repeatedly expressed (…), Azerbaijan was forced to take measures that it considers necessary on its own sovereign territory,” he indicated, although at the same time he urged “to continue the process of negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”
The French president, Emmanuel Macronassured Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in a telephone conversation that he had called an urgent meeting of the Security Council.
(With information from AFP and EFE)
Source-www.infobae.com