Armenian President, Catholicoi talk Karabakh violence

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Serzh Sargsyan on Tuesday, April 12, met with His Holiness Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and His Holiness Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I.

As the President's press office reports, Sargsyan and the Catholicoi discussed the situation on the line of contact between Nagorno Karbakh and Azerbaijan and the recent aggression unleashed by Baku.

The parties stressed the importance of bolstering state-church relations in solving vital national issues and tackling the existing challenges.

In conclusion, Garegin II and Aram I briefed the President about their upcoming visit to Nagorno Karabakh.

The parties to the Karabakh conflict agreed on a bilateral cessation of fire along the contact line which came into force at midday, April 5.

Prior to that, 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 64 Armenian solders were killed, 122 more were wounded.

As of April 5, the Azerbaijani side has lost 26 tanks and 4 infantry fighting vehicles, as well as 1 BM-21 Grad multipl e rocket launcher, 1 engineering vehicle, 2 military helicopters and 14 unmanned aerial vehicles. The Azerbaijani side has admitted the loss of 31 fighters, 1 helicopter and 1 unmanned drone, whereas the Armenian side's photo and video materials show dozens of killed Azerbaijani troops, 1 helicopter and 3 UAVs. Opposition media outlets, however, reported on the death of 95 Azerbaijani soldiers, stating that 39 more have been wounded. According to Karabakh authorities, 300 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in clashes.

14 Karabakh tanks have been neutralized since April 2.