Azerbaijan hasn’t “liberated” any territories: President

 April 4, 2016 - 16:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Thanks to the Artsakh Republic Defense Army’s timely and professional actions, the situation is under control on the Nagorno Karabakh contact line, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said Monday, April 4.

At a meeting with the ambassadors of the OSCE member countries, Sargsyan said that the Republic of Armenia – one of the parties to the 1994 ceasefire agreement – will stay fully committed to ensuring the security of the Nagorno Karabakh residents.

In his speech, the President reminded that he had earlier assigned the Foreign Ministry to work with colleagues from Karabakh to prepare an agreement on mutual military assistance.

“If the current military actions continue and turn into large-scale operations, Armenia will recognize the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,” President Sargsyan declared.

“Unfortunately, Yerevan’s multiple calls for curbing Baku’s adventurism didn’t yield the desired results. When Azerbaijan boasted about large amounts of arms acquisitions, the international community kept silent. When Baku sought to resolve the conflict by force, discredited the OSCE Minsk Group’s activities or rejected the confidence building measures, the international community still remained silent, as it does today, when Azeri army uses heavy artillery and shells the civilian population.”

Further addressing the ambassadors, the President conveyed several messages for the envoys to take to their respective countries.

“Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and other structures declared that Baku was the one who initiated the offensive in Karabakh for reasons that don’t fit into processes currently underway. According to them, Azerbaijan has attacked Karabakh to tackle issues that were supposed to be resolved through peaceful negotiations within the OSCE Minsk Group. We expect all sides that are concerned about regional peace, to demand that Baku explain its decision to start military actions. The OSCE should take stabilizing measures by introducing mechanisms to investigate truce violations and increasing the monitoring capacity of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

I have said on multiple occasions that we first need to eliminate the cause of the conflict and only then to pass on to corresponding arrangements. We can talk about logical compromises on the way of resolving the conflict, once Nagorno Karabakh is rid of the risk of re-colonization.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry impudently declared its intention “to unilaterally cease the fire” to “pass on to strengthening protection of liberated territories.” I assure you that Azerbaijan hasn’t liberated any territories. They have just taken 200-300 meters of land in the southern and northern sections of the frontline, losing at least one serviceman for each of those meters. As long as the 1994 ceasefire is valid, Azerbaijan must adhere to it. Nagorno Karabakh being a party to the agreement, Baku has to start direct talks with Artsakh authorities whether it likes them or not,” the President said.

Commenting on Turkey’s war-provoking rhetoric, Sargsyan said Ankara overtly encourages Baku’s adventurist policies.

On the night of April 1-2, Azerbaijani armed forces initiated overt offensive operations in the southern, southeastern and northeastern directions of the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh.

As many as 18 Karabakh servicemen were killed and 35-40 were wounded in the course of military operations. A civilian, 11-year-old Vaghinak Grigoryan was also killed, with 6 other civilians, including two kids, wounded, Besides, three elderly Armenians were brutally killed in Talish.

As of April 4, the Azerbaijani side has lost 20 tanks and over 5 armored vehicles, including an IFV, as well as 1 TOS-1A Solntsepyok multiple rocket launcher, 2 military helicopters and 6 unmanned aerial vehicles.

One Karabakh tank has been destroyed so far.