Tuesday, Armenia Appeals To Russia For Military Aid Armenia - Russian soldiers march at Yerevan's Victory Park during an official ceremony to mark the 77th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, 9 May, 2022. Armenia appealed to Russia for urgent military intervention on Tuesday in response to what it called Azerbaijani aggression against its sovereign territory. During an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Armenia’s Security Council decided to ask Moscow to invoke and “put into action” relevant articles of a Russian-Armenian treaty on mutual defense. It also requested assistance from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization as well as the UN Security Council. The appeal followed Pashinian’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which they discussed heavy fighting that broke out at various sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border shortly after midnight. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan also spoke by phone. The Armenian military accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling its border positions and trying to advance towards Armenian territory “in some directions.” Baku claimed, for its part, that its troops are thwarting cross-border sabotage attacks by Armenian army units. Yerevan strongly denied that claim. Russia has a military base in Armenia. Some of its troops were redeployed closer to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border following the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Kremlin did not immediately issue a statement on Putin’s latest conversation with Pashinian. Putin and Pashinian met last week on the sidelines of an economic forum held in the Russian city of Vladivostok. Speaking at the forum, the Armenian premier warned that Azerbaijan could provoke another escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone soon. U.S. Urges Halt To Fighting Between Armenia, Azerbaijan UKRAINE – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to media before departure at the railway station in Kyiv, September 8, 2022. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an immediate end to heavy fighting that broke out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border early on Tuesday. “The United States is deeply concerned about reports of attacks along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including reported strikes against settlements and civilian infrastructure inside Armenia,” Blinken said in a statement. “As we have long made clear, there can be no military solution to the conflict,” he said. “We urge an end to any military hostilities immediately.” The statement followed Blinken’s phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. According to the official Armenian readout of the call, the top U.S. diplomat expressed Washington’s readiness to help “stabilize the situation.” Pashinian was reported to inform Blinken about his administration’s decision to appeal to Russia, the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and the UN Security Council for help. He also said Yerevan expects “adequate” international reaction to what it sees as Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia. The hostilities were also discussed by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried in a separate call. The fighting coincided with the ongoing visit to the South Caucasus by Philip Reeker, the recently appointed U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Reeker held talks with Pashinian and Mirzoyan late last week. He is due in Baku later this week. Russia Reports Another Armenian-Azeri Truce Armenia - Armenian soldiers take up positions on the border with Azerbaijan, August 2, 2022. Russia claimed on Tuesday to have brokered another Armenian-Azerbaijan ceasefire agreement to stop heavy fighting that raged on the border between the two South Caucasus states overnight and in the morning. “We expect that the agreement, reached as a result of Russian mediation, on a ceasefire from 9 a.m. Moscow time (10 a.m. Armenian time) on September 13 of this year will be carried out in full,” read a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Armenia and Azerbaijan did not immediately confirm the announcement. A senior Russian lawmaker, Grigory Karasin, said that the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani is now “relatively calm.” He said President Vladimir Putin personally intervened to halt the hostilities after a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. Speaking in the Armenian parliament at 11:30 a.m. local time, Pashinian said that while the “intensity” of the hostilities has decreased Azerbaijani troops are continuing to attack Armenian army positions at “one or two sections” of the frontier. The Armenian Defense Ministry reported early in the afternoon a “considerable decrease in the intensity of shelling.” Still, it said Azerbaijani forces are making more attempts to seize or advance towards its border posts in Gegharkunik and another province, Syunik. “Armenian army units are continuing to accomplish their combat tasks in full,” the ministry added in a statement. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Suren Papikian spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in the morning. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, the two men agreed to take “necessary steps to stabilize the situation.” Shortly after Pashinian’s phone call with Putin, Armenia formally appealed to Russia and the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for urgent help in the face of what it described as a large-scale Azerbaijani attack on Armenian territory. Moscow did not publicly side with Armenia, its main regional ally. The Russian Foreign Ministry statement said “problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be resolved only by political-diplomatic means.” Pashinian revealed that at least 49 Armenian soldiers were killed in the fighting that broke out at several sections of the border shortly after midnight. The Azerbaijani side did not release any casualty numbers as of Tuesday afternoon. Armenia - A house in the border village of Sotk destroyed by Azerbaijani shelling, . Azerbaijani forces reportedly shelled not only Armenian border posts but also Armenian villages close to the border. At least three civilian residents of those communities were wounded and many others evacuated as a result, according to authorities in Yerevan. The conflicting sides continued to blame each other for what was the worst fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone since the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Yerevan shrugged off Baku’s claims that it retaliated against Armenian special forces that launched cross-border sabotage attacks. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry also claimed that Yerevan is trying to delay the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty which Baku says must uphold its sovereignty over Karabakh. Pashinian likewise linked the escalation to discussions on the treaty. He said Baku is trying to force Yerevan to accept the Azerbaijani terms of such a deal. They are highly unfavorable for the Armenian side and would not even guarantee Armenia’s territorial integrity, he said. The issue dominated Pashinian’s August 31 talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels. Iran Repeats Warnings Over Border With Armenia Armenia/Iran - The Arax river separating Armenia and Iran. Iran again warned against attempts to strip it of direct access to Armenia when it reacted to heavy fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on Tuesday. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian telephoned Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to brief him on the hostilities that broke out along several sections of the frontier shortly after midnight. One of those sections is close to Iranian territory bordering Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province. Raisi expressed serious concern over the escalation, saying that “the region cannot tolerate another war.” “The historical borders of Iran and Armenia are considered the bedrock of prosperity, convergence and security of the region,” he was quoted by his office as telling Pashinian. In this regard, the Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of respecting the territorial integrity of both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Any change to the border between the two South Caucasus states is unacceptable to Tehran, said a ministry spokesman. Syunik is the sole Armenian province bordering Iran. Baku has been pressing Yerevan to open an exterritorial corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave through the province. The Armenian government rejects these demands while expressing readiness to restore Armenian-Azerbaijani transport links. Iranian leaders are also strongly opposed to the land corridor, fearing a loss of the common border with Armenia. “The Islamic Republic will not tolerate policies or plans that lead to the closing of the Iran-Armenia border,” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned in July. According to the Armenian government’s press office Raisi recalled Khamenei’s warning during the phone call with Pashinian. The Iranian president also said that Armenia’s national security is important to Iran, added the office. Fighting Continues On Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Armenia - Defense Ministry spokesman Davit Torosian at a news briefing in Yerevan, . Fighting reportedly continued along Armenia’s long border with Azerbaijan on Tuesday evening despite a ceasefire agreement announced by Russia in the morning. The Armenian Defense Ministry said that there has only been a significant decrease in the “intensity of shelling” at various sections of the heavily militarized border which began on the night from Monday to Tuesday. “Using special forces, the enemy has been trying to secure positional advances, notably towards [the villages of] Nerkin Hand, Verin Shorzha, Artanish and Sotk,” said the ministry spokesman, Davit Torosian. Nerkin Hand is located in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province while the three other communities are part of Gegharkunik province. Both regions border western Azerbaijan. Gegharkunik Governor Karen Sargsian confirmed that there has been no letup in “intensive combat” in his region. “In the morning gunfire stopped for about 40 minutes but then resumed and is still going on,” Sargsian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. He said that the provincial administration helped to evacuate some local residents, mostly children and women, and took others to bomb shelters. In this image taken from a YouTube footage released by Armenian Defense Ministry on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, shows Azerbaijanian servicemen crossing the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and approaching the Armenian positions. The Defense Ministry accused the Azerbaijani army of deliberately targeting civilian areas. At least one of the Gegharkunik villages, Sotk, was seriously damaged by shelling. The ceasefire deal announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry was supposed to take effect at 10 a.m. local time. It was not officially confirmed by Armenia or Azerbaijan. The conflicting sides continued to blame each other for the bloodiest hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone since the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war. In particular, Yerevan says that Baku is thereby trying to force the Armenian side to make unilateral concessions in peace talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is doing its best to help stop the fighting which left at least 49 Armenian soldiers dead. The United States and the European Union similarly called for an immediate end to the violence. Senior U.S. and EU officials held a series of phone calls with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. Belgium - EU Council President Charles Michel meets with Armenia's and Azerbaijan's leaders in Brussels, August 31, 2022. “There is no alternative to peace and stability - and there is no alternative to diplomacy to ensure that,” tweeted European Council President Charles Michel. Michel announced that the EU’s special envoy to the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, will travel to Baku and Yerevan to “work on preventing further escalation.” Michel has hosted four face-to-face meetings between Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev over the past year. They most recently met in Brussels on August 31. Michel said right after that summit that Aliyev and Pashinian agreed to intensify negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. Also urging “strict respect for the ceasefire” was French President Emmanuel Macron. He spoke with Pashinian by phone overnight. A statement released by the presidential Elysee Palace also cited Macron as calling for “respect for the territorial integrity of Armenia.” “France will take the matter to the United Nations Security Council, of which it currently holds the presidency,” added the statement. Putin, Pashinian Talk Amid Fighting On Armenian-Azeri Border Russia - Russian Preisdent Vladimir Putin greets Prime Minoster Nikol Pashinian during a forum in Vladivostok, September 7, 2022 Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian telephoned the presidents of Russia and France early on Tuesday shortly after the start of what Armenia described as large-scale shelling of its territory by Azerbaijani forces. An Armenian government statement said Pashinian presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin details of Azerbaijan’s “aggressive and provocative” actions that began shortly after midnight. “Nikol Pashinian found the Azerbaijani side’s actions unacceptable and stressed the importance of adequate reaction from the international community,” said the statement. “The interlocutors agreed to be in operational contact.” Putin and Pashinian met last week on the sidelines of an economic forum held in the Russian city of Vladivostok. Speaking at the forum, the Armenian premier warned that Azerbaijan could provoke another escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone soon. The two leaders held four phone calls last month. They spoke twice in the space of a week in early August amid an upsurge of violence in Karabakh. The government’s press office released a similar readout of Pashinian’s call with French President Emmanuel Macron. “President Macron found a further deepening of the tensions unacceptable and stressed the need to deescalate the situation,” it said. Heavy Fighting Reported On Armenia-Azerbaijan Border (UPDATED) ARMENIA -- An Armenian flag flies at an Armenian army post on the border with Azerbaijan, June 18, 2021 The Armenian military said early on Tuesday that Azerbaijani forces are using artillery, combat drones and automatic weapons to strike its positions along various sections of Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. The Defense Ministry in Yerevan said that the “intensive” shelling began shortly after midnight. “The exchange of intensive gunfire is continuing,” the ministry spokesman, Aram Torosian, said an hour later. In another update, Torosian said that the fighting continued unabated as of 4 a.m. local time. “The Armenian armed forces are giving [the enemy] an adequate response and fully accomplishing combat tasks set for them,” he said. Torosian added that they suffered casualties but did not give any numbers. He also said that “in some directions” Azerbaijani troops are trying to advance towards Armenian territory. Residents of several Armenian border communities told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that they are hearing powerful explosions and gunfire. The mayor of, Verin Shorzha, a border village in eastern Gegharkunik province spoke of “intensive gunfire” coming from Azerbaijani army positions across the local section of the long border. According to a former local government official, several shells landed in another Gegharkunik community, Sotk, forcing some parents to evacuate their children to safer locations. Another, serving Gegharkunik official was quoted by news.am as saying that some residents of the nearby village of Norabak are fleeing their homes. The fighting also affected communities in Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province. In the local village of Karashen, an Azerbaijani shell hit a wedding hall, eyewitnesses said, adding that nobody was hurt as a result. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry accused the Armenian side of launching a “large-scale provocation” along three border districts in western Azerbaijan. In a statement, the ministry claimed that Armenian commando units crossed those border sections to try to put landmines near Azerbaijani army posts there. The Azerbaijani side, it said, hit Armenian military infrastructure and took other “urgent measures” in response to those raids. Torosian, the Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman, flatly denied those claims, insisting that the fighting was initiated by “Azerbaijan’s military-political leadership.” He said that the Azerbaijani military laid the “information groundwork” for it in recent days. Baku has alleged Armenian truce violations along the frontier on a daily basis following the August 31 meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian held in Brussels. Yerevan dismissed those claims as “disinformation.” Some Armenian commentators suggested that Baku may be preparing the ground for another escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.