✓A peace agreement has been signed by Putin, Aliyev and Pashinyan.
✓The agreement includes the handing over of land and the deployment of Russian peacekeepers.
✓President of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan is assaulted by protesters and hospitalized.
November 9, 2020
A damaged building from Azerbaijani shelling of Stepanakert
The Peacekeeping Command Center will be Located in Stepanakert
Russia has already dispatched its peacekeepers to the Karabakh conflict zone, according to an announcement from the country’s defense ministry.
Russia IL-76 military places transported 1,960 peacekeepers and 470 military equipment, the Azatutyun.am’s Armenian service reported on Monday, citing the Russian defense ministry.
The peacekeepers are headed to the Karabakh conflict zone in accordance to an agreement announced earlier Tuesday (local time) signed by the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and Armenia’s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan. In addition to deployment of Russian peacekeepers, the agreement stipulates that the regions of Fizuli, Aghdam, Kelbajar, Lachin and Shushi will be surrendered to Azerbaijani control. At the same time, Russian border guards will now patrol the Armenian border and oversee the transport between Azerbaijan through Nakhichevan via Meghri.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the peacekeepers were transported from the Western Russian city of Ulyanovsk. The peacekeepers are from the Russia’s 15th mobile detachment brigade.
Per the agreement, a peacekeeping command center will be established in the region. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the center will be headquartered in Stepanakert.
The peacekeepers will be stations along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border, or the line of contact, as well as at the corridors between Armenia and Artsakh.
According to the agreement, the sides will retain whatever territory they had seized during the war. Based on earlier military briefings, Azerbaijan has seized the southern portion of Artsakh, as well as areas in the northeast in Talish.
A Russian military helicopter has been downed over Armenia amid clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan has admitted to shooting the aircraft down by accident.
A Russian military helicopter has been shot down over Armenia, with two crew members killed and one injured, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday.
In a statement, the ministry said the Mi-24 attack helicopter was downed by fire from a man-portable air-defense system close to the border with Azerbaijan.
Later, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement admitting to having shot down the helicopter, saying it was an accident.
"The Azerbaijani side offers an apology to the Russian side in connection with this tragic incident," the statement said, adding that the attack was "not aimed against" Moscow. It offered to pay compensation.
The incident comes as Armenia, a Russian ally, and Azerbaijan continue to fight over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is within Azerbaijan's territory by law but has been under the control of local ethnic Armenian forces since 1994.
The Foreign Ministry statement from Azerbaijan said Azerbaijani forces had decided to open fire owing to a spike in fighting with the Armenian separatists.
The crash reportedly occurred near the border with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, some 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the border to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian authorities said the helicopter had crashed "in a gorge" near the village of Yeraskh.
Despite its military alliance with Armenia, Russia has said it will intervene in the conflict only if fighting reached Armenian soil. It maintains a permanent military presence there.
“Knowing the tactical situation, and understanding the capacity vested by Aliyev to conquer Shushi and understanding our capacity, I hope that the battle for Shushi will end tomorrow,” said Armenia’s Defense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan during a press briefing on Sunday.
The battle for Shushi has been going on for the last four days. Having made significant gains with drones in the flat southern plains, but unable to make visible advances through the mountains, Azerbaijan is making an effort to secure a symbolic victory in Shushi.
“I am not going to comment on the announcement made by Azerbaijani political-military leadership regarding Shushi,” Hovhannisyan said, referring to a tweet made by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev claiming to have liberated Shushi.
Aliyev’s tweet read: “I am fortunate to have fulfilled a father’s will. We liberated Shushi! This is a great victory! Today may the soul of National Leader and our martyrs be praised! I felicitate you, Azerbaijan!”
Armenia’s Ministry of Defense says fighting has been going on inside the city, around the city, and on the road to the city.
Heavy fighting also took place southwest of Shushi, in the direction of Berdzor. Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Azerbaijani forces attempted to move forward and support their troops fighting near Shushi, but they were thrown back and they retreated.
Sitting on a mountaintop, Shushi is Nagorno-Karabakh’s second biggest city, and is located on the main road that connects Karabakh to Armenia. That road has been closed on and off as fighting continues nearby. Armenia's Ministry of Defense says that tactical-squad groups, including subversive groups, elite subdivisions, and mercenaries approach the Shushi road with light, high-speed armored vehicles.
If the road closes permanently, an irreversible humanitarian crisis would emerge in Karabakh.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today received Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.
Welcoming Mr. Araghchi’s visit to Yerevan, the Prime Minister stressed that Armenia highly values the ongoing friendly relations with Iran. Taking the opportunity, Nikol Pashinyan conveyed greetings to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani and to the government of friendly Iran.
In turn, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran conveyed warm greetings and wishes for peace on behalf of the Iranian President. He appreciated the existing ties of strong friendship between Iran and Armenia. Introducing Iran’s approaches to settling the regional situation, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi voiced deep concerns over the ongoing hostilities. He offered condolences for civilian casualties and condemned the attacks on civilian infrastructure and human settlements.
The parties went on to exchange views on regional security issues. They voiced shared concern over the involvement in the conflict of international terrorists from the Middle East. The interlocutors viewed this as a threat to the security of the entire region with the potential to expand.
Prime Minister Pashinyan highly appreciated Iran’s balanced and constructive approach to regional issues.
18:22,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan received Ambassador of the USA to Armenia Lynne Tracy.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MoD Armenia, the U.S. Ambassador expressed concerns over the non-compliance with the ceasefire agreements and hoped that the diplomatic efforts will give result.
At the request of the Ambassador, the Defense Minister of Armenia presented the process of the military operations and the situation on the front line, specially emphasizing the fact of the involvement of foreign servicemen and mercenaries in the operations.
Davit Tonoyan noted that under the light of the absence of the ceasefire, the Armenian forces continue to carry out their tasks with confidence. He underlined the ceasefire can be possible to achieve only in case of applying verification mechanisms on the ground.
15:51,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, ARMENPRESS. A man has been shot dead by police after threatening people with a weapon in a city in southern France on the same morning when at least three people were killed in a church in Nice, which is described as a terror attack.
A man was shot dead in Montfavet, a district in the city of Avignon, on Thursday, police said. According to local news reports the assailant was armed with a knife and was threatening passersby and police, shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.
Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a man was arrested after attacking a guard at the French consulate in Jeddah.
Editing by Stepan Kocharyan
October 26, 2020
Armenian Medical International Conference President Dr. Vicken Sepilian on Monday discussed the impact of the Artsakh war, as well as a surge in COVID-19 cases in Armenia on the country’s healthcare system.
Sepilian told Asbarez Editor Ara Khachatourian during a Zoom interview on Monday, that the current war in Artsakh is exacerbating Armenia’s healthcare system, which, until Azerbaijan attacked on Artsakh on September 27, had made strides in flattening the curve.
Armenia’s Health Minister on Sunday said that 2,314 Covid cases were registered in a 24-hour period, with 25,412 people currently are infected with the virus. This recent surge is overwhelming hospitals in Armenia, which are also being used to treat wounded soldiers.
22:42,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to Indian WION TV, answering the question what he expects from India and the international community in general for preventing Azerbaijani and Turkish aggression against Artsakh.
''I expect from New Delhi what I expect from other representatives of the international community – record that Turkey has organized the transportation of terrorists and mercenaries to Azerbaijan and that this war should not have started without Turkey's intervention, record that the terrorists groups of Azerbaijan and Turkey started the attack , record that the Armenian people in Nagorno Karabakh are under existential threat, under genocidal risk, and assess the principle of ‘'remedial secession'' acceptable for this case and recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh'', ARMENPRESS reports PM Pashinyan as saying.
To the question how long the war can continue and if the Armenian side is preparing for a long-lasting war, Nikol Pashinyan said that the people of Nagorno Karabakh should struggle for ensuring its security until the end. ''But I hope our diplomatic efforts will stop the war as soon as possible'', Pashinyan said.