News, reports, media on combat in Karabakh. October 31, 2020

Representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan, summarizing the situation at the front over the past day, said that the enemy began to attack in the early morning, the fighting was going on in all directions. The intensity of the fighting was generally low, with tension observed in certain areas.

“In some local battles in the southern and and southeastern directions, our Armed Forces were able to return some positions and ensure a certain advance,” Hovhannisyan said.

However, in the central direction, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces used large infantry units, as well as armored vehicles and artillery. In this connection, they managed to achieve success and positional changes here. The representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry again stressed the need to introduce control mechanisms. Without verification mechanisms, in his opinion, it will be difficult to achieve compliance with the ceasefire. And this is evidenced by another violation of agreements by the Azerbaijani side – now after the agreement reached on October 30 in Geneva.

Artak Beglaryan reports that a 59-year-old resident of Gerger village of Martuni region was killed. Rocket and artillery strikes were also made on the cities of Martuni, Martakert and Shushi. Data on victims and material damage is being gathered.

The Ombudsman recalls that on the morning of October 31, after reaching agreements on humanitarian issues in Geneva, residential areas of the capital Stepanakert, where there are no military facilities, were also shelled.

A motor rally in support of the Azerbaijani army, organized by the Russian community of Azerbaijan, took place in Baku.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan has updated data on the number of civilians killed and injured.

“Since the beginning of hostilities, 91 people have died, another 404 people have been injured,” the ministry’s press service said.

“Armenia’s statements about the alleged use of phosphorus munitions by the Azerbaijani army are groundless.

We officially declare that the Azerbaijani army has no weapons and ammunition prohibited by international law. By disseminating such groundless information, Armenia seeks to conceal its war crimes committed against the civilian population of Azerbaijan,” the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

The Defense Army’s press service published a video proving that Azerbaijan is using phosphorus weapons.

The message says that “this is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, as well as the provisions stipulated by the relevant UN conventions and documents.”

The agency explains that these weapons are causing massive forest fires and could lead to a real environmental disaster. In addition, it is known that now, in the forests where phosphorus ammunition is used, many civilians of Karabakh are hiding from the shelling of the Azerbaijani armed forces. In this regard, the office of the Ombudsman of Armenia conducted an urgent investigation and published its results:

“These munitions have an obvious nature of mass destruction and are used by the Azerbaijani armed forces both against the environment and now against the civilian population. And in such a situation they fall under the explicit prohibition of international law. ”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to the German ARD television.

To the journalist’s question “When we were there [in Karabakh], the following question arose. Why is Karabakh so important for Azerbaijan? Are there resources there, or does it have some kind of symbolic meaning? ” Aliyev replied:

“Are Alsace and Lorraine important to you? Is Bavaria important to you? Or maybe Rhine-Westphalia? This is our land, our territory recognized internationally. This is not a question of resources, our main resources are located here in Baku. It is a question of justice, a question of national dignity and a question of international law. International law and the entire international community recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan. We are restoring justice, and we ourselves are implementing the UN Security Council resolutions that have remained on paper for 27 years ”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry responded to a letter from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in which he asked to start consultations on helping Armenia to ensure its security:

“We confirm the adherence of the Russian Federation to allied obligations in relation to the Republic of Armenia, including those arising from the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia dated August 29, 1997. A number of articles of this Treaty presuppose specific actions in the event of a threat of armed attack or an act of aggression against each other’s territory. In accordance with the Treaty, Russia will provide Yerevan with all the necessary assistance if the clashes are transferred directly to the territory of Armenia. ”

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said on the air of the Russia 24 TV channel that the matter concerns the principled position of the Russian side, which was voiced in the statement, and all the details and specific formats of assistance to Armenia will be discussed additionally.

“The information of the Armenian media that the units of the Azerbaijani army allegedly bombarded the cities of Khankendi and Shusha in the morning is false and is aimed at aggravating the situation.

We declare that the units of the Azerbaijani army strike only at enemy firing points, ”the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

The Karabakh Defense Army reports that this morning at about 07.08 the enemy fired at Stepanakert and Shushi. In Stepanakert, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire on the central market and a residential building. As a result of the shelling of Shushi, there are casualties among the civilian population.

The report states that the shelling of peaceful settlements is a violation of the agreement reached on October 30 in Geneva with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

After a 6-hour meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs made a statement. It says that the parties pledged to abide by the humanitarian ceasefire and not to deliberately target civilians and civilian objects.

“The Armenian armed forces fired at the village of Giyameddinli, Agjabadi region.

There are no destructions and no injuries, ”the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

“The information disseminated by the Armenian media with reference to the representative of the Ministry of Defense of this country about the alleged conduct of military operations by the Azerbaijani Army in the direction of the village of David-Bek near the city of Gafan does not correspond to reality.

Units of the Azerbaijan Army opened return fire at the enemy’s firing points, which subjected the territory of Gubadli to artillery fire from the indicated direction.

We declare that adequate retaliatory measures against the enemy will continue to be taken, ”the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Nikol Pashinyan on October 31 turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a request to urgently begin consultations to determine options and the amount of support from Russia to ensure Armenia’s security. This was reported on the website of the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

The reason for the appeal to a strategic ally was the approach of hostilities to the border of Armenia and, as the message says, “the facts of already committed encroachments on the territory of the Republic of Armenia.”

In the letter, the Armenian prime minister also described in detail the situation created as a result of “the Azerbaijani-Turkish military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“On October 31, at 06:00, the Armenian armed forces subjected the territory of the Terter, Agdam and Agjabedi regions to artillery fire,” the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

“During the day on October 30 and on the night of October 31, units of the armed forces of Armenia fired from various types of weapons, including rockets and artillery, the positions of units of the Azerbaijani army and settlements in different directions of the front.

Combat operations continued mainly on the Agderin, Khojavend and Gubadli directions of the front, ”the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Fighting has been going on in and around Karabakh for more than a month.

• All day on October 30, the Armenian military fired at several regions of Azerbaijan – Gubadli, Goranboy, Terter, Agdam and Agjabedi, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.

• All day on October 30, the Azerbaijani military fired rockets at settlements in Karabakh, the Karabakh Defense Ministry said.

• The Armenian Ministry of Defense reported heavy fighting during the day on October 30 in almost all directions.

• Another 9 settlements came under the control of the Azerbaijani army, Ilham Aliyev said.

• An 84-year-old man, whom Azerbaijan wanted to transfer to the Armenian side on October 29, died. He was not transportable  for health reasons.

• Since the beginning of hostilities on September 27, 91 civilians have died from the Azerbaijani side, 400 people were injured, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan said.

• A trip to Moscow of ex-President of Armenia Robert Kocharyian was announced and then postponed after he was diagnosed with a coronavirus. Kocharian was planning a trip with another ex-president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan to “discuss the situation in Karabakh with the Russian political elite and then propose concrete solutions to the Armenian government.”

• Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch confirmed the use of banned cluster bombs by the Armenian military against civilians in the Azerbaijani town of Barda. Earlier, Human Rights Watch announced that the Azerbaijani military was using cluster bombs against civilians in Karabakh.

• News, reports, photos / videos on military operations in Karabakh for October 30, 2020