Tuesday,
EU Border Monitoring Mission In Armenia Confirms Gunfire In Area Of One Of Its
Patrols
Armenia -- Vehicles carrying EUMA members near the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
(file photo).
The European Union’s border monitoring mission in Armenia on August 15 confirmed
that there had been gunfire in the area of one of its patrols along the border
with Azerbaijan.
“We confirm that an EU monitoring mission patrol was present at the shooting
incident in our area of responsibility,” EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) said on X,
formerly known as Twitter. The post, which corrected a previous statement saying
no EUMA patrol had been a target of shooting, also said no mission member had
been hurt.
The statement came after Armenia said Azerbaijan’s military had opened fire on
the observers monitoring the border between the two countries. Azerbaijan denied
responsibility for the incident.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said the shooting took place as EU observers
patrolled the village of Verin Shorzha, about 6 kilometers from the border. It
also said there were no casualties.
Azerbaijan said the claims amounted to disinformation and that Baku had been
told in advance of the patrols.
“The units of the Azerbaijani Army have been informed about the visits of the
mission, so the incident reported by the Armenian Defense Ministry is
theoretically and practically impossible,” the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.
The EU, which launched its border monitoring mission earlier this year, has
taken on a broader mediation role between the two countries as they deal with
disputes over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Tensions between Baku and Yerevan have escalated sharply in recent days as both
sides accuse the other of cross-border gunfire and violating the ceasefire
agreement. Armenia has sounded the alarm over humanitarian aid deliveries to
Nagorno-Karabakh over the Lachin Corridor linking the Armenian-populated region
to Armenia.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on August 16
on the issue of humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh, which Yerevan and
Stepanakert say has been denied for months by Azerbaijan after it imposed an
“illegal blockade” on the region.
During the session in New York Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will
discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of
Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor.
Azerbaijan denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and has offered an alternative
route for supplies via the town of Agdam, which is situated east of the region
and is controlled by Baku.
Russia on August 15 urged Azerbaijan to open the Lachin Corridor. The Russian
Foreign Ministry issued a statement following a telephone call between Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov.
“Particular emphasis was placed on the need for the practical implementation of
steps previously agreed in principle, aimed at the speedy de-escalation of the
situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, including the unblocking of humanitarian
routes, including the Lachin Corridor,” the statement said.
Russia brokered a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that ended
their 44-day war over Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020. Since then it has
deployed about 2,000 peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, including along the
Lachin Corridor, under the terms of the agreement. Yerevan and Stepanakert
insist that Azerbaijan’s installing a checkpoint along the vital road is a
violation of the ceasefire deal.
Nagorno-Karabakh Reports First Death From Hunger
• Artak Khulian
Nagorno-Karabakh -- Empty shelves in a Stepanakert supermarket (file photo)
Ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have reported the first death
from hunger in the region that has been cut off from all commercial and
humanitarian supplies for weeks due to a de facto blockade imposed by Azerbaijan.
The office of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ombudsman said on Tuesday that a 40-year-old
man from Stepanakert identified as K. Hovhannisian died as a result of “chronic
malnutrition, protein and energy deficiency.”
“The catastrophic food situation caused by the blockade and especially the
two-month-long complete siege, leading to the malnutrition of people and the
threat of hunger, the lack of necessary medicines and the inability of the full
functioning of the healthcare system create direct and undeniable threats to the
120,000-strong population of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh – ed.],” it said.
Meanwhile, Nagorno-Karabakh’s health authorities said that hemodialysis patients
were being evacuated from the region “to avoid death due to growing shortages of
necessary medical supplies.”
According to the de facto Health Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh, 29 such patients
have been transported to Armenia during the past two days, while 12 have refused
to be evacuated and risk dying when suppression of their kidney function becomes
life-threatening.
Kristine Avagimian, head of the hemodialysis department at Stepanakert’s
hospital, said that each of the patients with kidney deficiency who preferred
staying in Nagorno-Karabakh had their own reason for that.
“One of the patients has minor children to take care of, some are
wheelchair-bound and have mobility problems. In other words, each has family and
personal problems that led to such a decision, while they are well aware what it
would lead to,” the doctor said.
Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh estimate that medical supplies needed for
hemodialysis will run out in the region in about two weeks.
Tensions around Nagorno-Karabakh escalated again in recent days and weeks amid a
deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region that Armenia blames on
Azerbaijan, saying that it continues to block all commercial and humanitarian
supplies to the region through the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting
Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.
Baku denies blockading the region and offers an alternative route of supply from
within Azerbaijan via the eastern town of Agdam, which is rejected by Karabakh
Armenians who fear it could be a prelude to their absorption into Azerbaijan.
Following an appeal from Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leader Arayik
Harutiunian to the international community over the blockade last week Armenia
asked the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the
humanitarian situation in the region.
Such a meeting has been scheduled for August 16, the Associated Press reported
on Tuesday.
Armenia Expects Next Round Of Peace Talks With Azerbaijan In September
The national flags of Armenia and Azerbaijan
The next round of Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations around a peace treaty is
expected in September, a senior official in Yerevan has told Public Television.
In an August 14 interview Edmon Marukian, ambassador-at-large at Armenia’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, did not specify where such negotiations will take
place.
The latest Armenian-Azerbaijani talks on the peace treaty took place in Moscow
on July 25 and were held at the level of foreign ministers.
It followed several rounds of negotiations hosted by the United States and the
European Union.
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, on August 7
reiterated Washington’s belief that a peace agreement between Armenia and
Azerbaijan remained “within reach.”
He made the remark while commenting on an earlier statement by Denis Gonchar, a
senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, who said that “a hastily prepared, raw
[Armenian-Azerbaijani] peace treaty would not bring a sustainable peace to the
region, but, on the contrary, would lay the foundation for new conflicts and
tragedies in the future.”
Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated again in recent days amid a
reportedly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh that Yerevan
blames on Azerbaijan, saying that it continues to block all commercial and
humanitarian supplies to the region where an estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians
live. Azerbaijan denies blockading the region.
Following an appeal from Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leader Arayik
Harutiunian to the international community over the blockade last week Armenia
asked the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on
Nagorno-Karabakh. Such a meeting has been scheduled for August 16, the
Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan accused Armenia of conducting a military buildup along the
border, a claim denied by Yerevan and refuted by a European Union mission (EUMA)
that has been monitoring areas along the Armenian-Azerbaijan border since last
year.
The EUMA mission today first refuted a report by Armenia’s Defense Ministry that
its patrol has been a target of shooting, but then corrected its statement,
saying that “we confirm that a EUMA patrol has been present to the shooting
incident in our area of responsibility.” It added on X that no EUMA member was
harmed.
Meanwhile, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry suggested on Monday that Baku’s “spreading
false information” about Armenia’s military buildup “indicates Azerbaijan’s
intention to aggravate the situation in the region.”
Armenia said late on Monday that one of its soldiers stationed at a border
position was seriously wounded by fire coming from the Azerbaijani side. Both
countries have blamed each other for ceasefire violations along the restive
border in recent days. Baku and Stepanakert have also traded accusations for
reported shooting incidents around Nagorno-Karabakh.
U.N. Security Council To Hold Emergency Meeting On Nagorno-Karabakh
A meeting of the UN Security Council (file photo)
The United Nations Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting for
August 16 in response to a call from Armenia saying the mainly
Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh is facing hunger and “a
full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe” due to a blockade imposed by Azerbaijan.
Armenia’s U.N. Ambassador Mher Margarian asked for the meeting on the “dire
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh” in a letter to the ambassador of the United
States, which holds the Security Council presidency this month.
The U.S. Mission to the U.N. said Monday the emergency open meeting will take
place on Wednesday afternoon, the Associated Press reported.
In his letter to Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Margarian said Azerbaijan’s
complete blockade since June 15 of the Lachin Corridor – the only road
connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia – has created severe shortages of food,
medicine and fuel.
Armenia’s move came after Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leader Arayik
Harutiunian appealed to the international community for “immediate action” to
lift the de facto blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and prevent what he called “the
genocide of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Baku denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and offers an alternative route for
supplies via Agdam, an Azerbaijani-controlled town situated east of the region.
Stepanakert rejects the offer, saying that the closure of the Lachin corridor is
a violation of the terms of the Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement that
the Armenian side insists places the vital route solely under the control of
Russian peacekeepers.
Meanwhile, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Foreign Minister
Ararat Mirzoyan will be in New York to attend the emergency meeting of the UN
Security Council.
Azerbaijan Slams Spain For ‘Supporting Separatist Regime’ In Karabakh
Aykhan Hajizade, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan (file photo).
Official Baku has condemned the Spanish government for its “unacceptable”
decision to “support a separatist regime established by Armenia on the sovereign
territory of Azerbaijan.”
The criticism came after Madrid announced its humanitarian assistance to
residents of Nagorno-Karabakh whose ethnic Armenian leader last week appealed to
the international community to prevent the starvation of the region that has
been in a de facto blockade imposed by Azerbaijan for months.
In a post on its X (Twitter) account Spain’s embassy in Russia said that the
Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has decided to
support a thousand people displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
“The AECID is activating its humanitarian action Acontraelhambre (“Action
Against Hunger”) to help 1,000 people in Armenia displaced due to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” it said in a post made in Armenian. “A total of 250
families will receive financial, psychological and social assistance,” it added.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizade said in response that
Baku “strongly condemns this unconstructive approach.”
“It is strange to see a country fighting separatism on its own territory while
supporting separatism in other countries. Spain’s support for the illegal
separatist regime established by Armenia on the sovereign territory of
Azerbaijan is unacceptable. We strongly condemn this unconstructive approach,”
Hajizade said.
Spain did not respond to the criticism immediately.
Later on Tuesday Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Spain’s charge
d’affaires in the country over the matter.
Amid severe shortages of basic foodstuffs, medical and fuel supplies experienced
by Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians, Armenia last Friday officially asked the United
Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting regarding the
deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Jose Manuel
Albares Bueno was one of the top foreign diplomats that Armenian Foreign
Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has held phone calls with over the past several days to
present the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh that
Yerevan blames on Azerbaijan.
As he spoke to Bueno, Mirzoyan reportedly emphasized “the seriousness of the
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the lack of necessary medical care resulting
from the complete blockade of the Armenian-populated region since June 15,
especially for the most sensitive groups such as 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly
and 9,000 persons with disabilities.
”EU Monitors See No ‘Military Buildup’ On Armenian-Azerbaijani Border
EUMA members monitoring the situation alongside the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
(file photo).
The European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) said it had observed no “unusual
military movement or buildup” along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border after Baku
accused Yerevan of amassing troops at the frontier.
The EUMA emphasized on Twitter that it daily monitors the military and security
situation from four operating bases, patrolling alongside the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border area.
“Based on the information on the ground, we see no unusual military movement or
buildup, especially at the entrance to the Lachin corridor. We keep patrolling
the areas,” the EUMA said.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday also issued a statement calling accusations
from Baku false. “The spreading of this false information indicates Azerbaijan’s
intention to aggravate the situation in the region,” it charged, again rejecting
Azerbaijan’s statements about the presence of Armenia’s troops in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
“It is also evident that one of the objectives of Azerbaijan’s disinformation
campaign is to divert the international community’s attention from the
escalating humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is intensifying day by
day, and from its steps to implement ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh
through provoking a humanitarian catastrophe,” the ministry said, referring to
what Yerevan views as Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, the
only road connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh.
Mutual accusations by Armenians and Azerbaijanis come amid reports of
intensifying cross-border shootings that both sides blame on each other. Armenia
said one of its soldiers was seriously wounded when Azerbaijan opened fire along
the eastern border on Monday.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for
decades. Some 30,000 people were killed in a war in the early 1990s that left
ethnic Armenians in control of the predominantly Armenian-populated region and
seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan proper.
Decades of internationally mediated talks failed to result in a diplomatic
solution and the simmering conflict led to another war in 2020 in which nearly
7,000 soldiers were killed on both sides.
The 44-day war in which Azerbaijan regained all of the Armenian-controlled areas
outside of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as chunks of territory inside the Soviet-era
autonomous oblast proper ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire under which
Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers.
Despite the ceasefire and publicly stated willingness of the leaders of both
Armenia and Azerbaijan to work towards a negotiated peace, tensions between the
two South Caucasus nations escalated in June after Azerbaijan tightened its
blockade at a checkpoint installed in April on the road known as the Lachin
corridor, the only link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Yerevan and Stepanakert view the Azerbaijani roadblock as a violation of the
terms of the ceasefire agreement that they insist places the vital route solely
under the control of Russian peacekeepers.
Amid severe shortages of basic foodstuffs, medical and fuel supplies experienced
by Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians, Armenia last Friday officially asked the United
Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting regarding the
deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The move came after the region’s ethnic Armenian leader appealed to the
international community for “immediate action” to lift the de facto blockade
imposed by Azerbaijan and prevent what he called “the genocide of the people of
Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Azerbaijan denies blockading Nagorno-Karabakh and offers an alternative route
for supplies via the town of Agdam, which is situated east of the region and is
controlled by Baku.
However, Nagorno-Karabakh’s authorities have rejected that offer amid concerns
in Stepanakert that the opening of the Agdam road could be a prelude to the
region’s absorption by Azerbaijan.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.