Truce "would prove thousands of Azeri deaths, involvement of mercenaries

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan is avoiding a humanitarian ceasefire as that would expose the almost ten thousand deaths on their side, while the evacuation of bodies would prove the involvement of mercenaries and Turkish troops, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday, October 21.

"Yes, their resources are vast, but our heroic soldiers inflict indescribable losses," Pashinyan said, adding that Azerbaijan is throwing its last reservists into battle.

"One of the reasons and goals of a humanitarian ceasefire is the evacuation and proper burial of bodies. In this context, Azerbaijan is afraid of two things. The first is the return of around ten thousand bodies amid a countrywide euphoria [in Azerbaijan]. The second is that bodies of mercenaries and Turkish soldiers will be discovered too," Pashinyan said.

Armenia was the first to report on Turkey's deployment of thousands of Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan. International media publications followed suit, as did reactions from France, Russia Iran and Syria.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and Syrian and Libyan mercenaries deployed by Ankara, started a war against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. Foreign and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages.

Donations can be made to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, which has launched a fundraising campaign to support humanitarian efforts in Karabakh.