News, reports, photos / videos on military actions in Karabakh for October 2, 2020

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commented on the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in his speech at the general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, warned that Armenia is preparing for a new military provocation against Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that the provocations committed by the Armenian leadership both in words and in practice, including a visit to Shusha to participate in the “inauguration” of the self-proclaimed regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, a provocative statement made in the occupied Khankendi that “Karabakh – this is Armenia, “the occupation state’s advancement of the concept of” a new war for new territories “, the presentation of seven preliminary conditions in the negotiations to resolve the conflict, as well as attempts to change the format of the negotiations, dealt a blow to the conflict settlement process mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

As part of the next military aggression against Azerbaijan, the armed forces of Armenia, in their usual manner, grossly violating the norms and principles of international law, in particular, international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and additional protocols to them, purposefully fire at the Azerbaijani civilian population and infrastructure, and, thus, they commit various crimes against the civilian population.

As of October 1, 2020, 19 Azerbaijani civilians were killed, 55 were injured, more than 200 houses and civilian objects were destroyed.

There are numerous facts of the use of terrorist groups and mercenaries in the military operations of Armenia during the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the adjacent territories of Azerbaijan. At present, continuing this policy within the framework of its new act of aggression against Azerbaijan, the Armenian leadership makes extensive use of extremist elements.

In its numerous statements, the OSCE Minsk Group has stressed the unacceptability of the status quo. However, acting in spite of this, Armenia seeks to strengthen this position based on occupation. It becomes obvious that Armenia is not interested in the settlement of the conflict through negotiations and is trying to annex the occupied territories.

Armenia still does not fulfill the requirements of numerous decisions of international organizations, first of all, resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of the UN Security Council of 1993, regarding the withdrawal of the Armenian occupation troops from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. On the contrary, acting in an atmosphere of impunity, Armenia is undertaking new acts of aggression against Azerbaijan.

The entire responsibility for the current situation in the region rests with the military-political leadership of Armenia, “the statement of the foreign ministry says.

The only information center, which started acting after the beginning of the war in Karabakh, published photos of the destruction. The author is David Ghahramanyan.

This information was confirmed by Nagorno Karabakh ombudsman Artak Beglaryan ․ “It seems that there are ruins in residential houses. There are many victims. ” Earlier, the Armenian media published information that several explosions had taken place in Stepanakert at the same time, the city was being shelled. Armenian ombudsman Arman Tatoyan reported that during the shelling of Stepanakert, Azerbaijan used “Smerch” CRRC with cluster munitions.

The Armenian Prime Minister’s office reports that Pashinyan and Putin discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh in connection with the ongoing hostilities there. The message also says that they “expressed concern about the participation of foreign fighters from the Middle East and illegal military formations in the conflict.”

The Prime Minister of Armenia again drew the attention of the Russian President to the destabilizing position of Turkey and its involvement in hostilities.

The Russian president stressed the need to immediately end hostilities and resume the peace process, which was also mentioned in the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on October 1. The official announcement ends with a phrase that an agreement has been reached to continue consultations.

Other details of the conversation have not yet been reported.

“Turkey has been and will be on the side of Azerbaijan. The struggle will continue until the liberation of Karabakh from occupation,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 2 at the opening of a hospital in the Turkish province of Konya.

The Turkish leader said that the Azerbaijani army has liberated a large number of occupied territories from the Armenian occupation in recent days.

“The latest provocation received an unexpected response for Armenia. In response, Azerbaijan launched an operation. Turkey was and will be on the side of friendly Azerbaijan,” he said.

The Automobile Federation of Azerbaijan presented the army with 10 new “pickups”.

Immediately after the ceremony of handing over the vehicles to the military, the pick-up trucks headed to the front line in Karabakh.

Azerbaijanis were bewildered when pickup trucks were requisitioned en masse several weeks back with the alleged purpose of ‘mandatory inspections.’

Nothing threatens their lives, reports the United Armenian Information Center, which is now operating in Karabakh:

“In Stepanakert, the building of the rescue service was partially destroyed, windows were broken, walls were destroyed, cars in the parking lot were damaged.”

Representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan reports that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched strikes on the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh:

“There is a lot of destruction of civil infrastructure in Stepanakert and wounded. The Rescue Service suffered. ”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a response statement to the call of the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries. It says that “the aggression against Artsakh must be stopped immediately”:

“Armenia has consistently rejected and condemned the use or threat of use of force by Azerbaijan, as well as the direct participation of Turkey in hostilities against Armenia and Artsakh. The joint aggressive actions of Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as the involvement of foreign terrorist fighters, undermine regional security and peace, significantly increasing the risk of large-scale war
Armenia remains committed to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We will continue to resolutely oppose this aggression against Artsakh, at the same time, we are ready to work with the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group to restore the ceasefire regime based on the agreements of 1994-1995 ”.

Nikol Pashinyan stated this in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro. According to the prime minister, this escalation is larger than the hostilities in April 2016.
Key points of the interview:

• Russia, France and Iran have already admitted that on September 27 Turkey was engaged in a full-scale offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh
• The Azerbaijani side uses Turkish drones and F-16 fighters to strike civilian targets in Nagorno-Karabakh
• In the occupied territories in northern Syria, Turkey trained thousands of mercenaries and sent them to Azerbaijan
• Those who started the hostilities should stop hostilities – Turkey and Azerbaijan
• Baku is not able to control the brought mercenaries, Ankara took command
• 30% of losses of the Azerbaijani side – foreign mercenaries
• Turkey should be removed from the OSCE Minsk Group for biased, militaristic behavior.

According to military expert Artsrun Hovhannisyan, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have just hit the city of Hadrut from the Smerch multiple launch rocket system.

“There are civilian casualties.”

Hovhannisyan posted photos, noting that “they use cluster charges.”

The deputy commander of the Karabakh Defense Army, Artur Sargsyan, said that as a result of the decoding of the Israeli radio Tadiran, it was established that the actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces are coordinated mainly in Arabic.

In the conditions of the military situation, the decision of the Government of Armenia explains the traffic safety and the necessity of careful transportation. Exception made separately for human traffickers. In special cases, an additional resolution will be issued. Media staff will also need to get permission in advance.

Despite repeated warnings not to fire at populated areas, the villages of Khyndyrystan, Alibeyli, Ahmadagaly and Safarli in the Aghdam region are currently under heavy artillery fire from the enemy, the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.

“Among the civilian population there are killed and wounded,” the message says.

The total number of killed Armenian servicemen has reached 107, Deputy Commander of the Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army Arthur Sargsyan said on the morning of October 2.

The number of injured is being clarified.

On October 1, around midnight, as reported by the Armenian Ministry of Defense, four Azerbaijani drones were destroyed. One of them was destroyed in Kotayk region, the other three in Gegharkunik region.

“All the injured drones were reconnaissance,” said Shushan Stepanyan, spokeswoman for the Armenian Defense Ministry.

According to him, a total of 7 drones were damaged in the airspace of Armenia on October 1.

In the Iranian city of Ardabil, populated mainly by Azerbaijanis, 12 activists were arrested for taking part in a rally to support Azerbaijan, Anadolu news agency reported.

They are accused of insulting Iran’s spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, violating public order and organizing unauthorized actions.

Also, actions in support of Azerbaijan were held in the Iranian cities of Tabriz and Urmia, inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis, and the country’s capital Tehran, the report said. It is alleged that on Imam Hussein Square in Tehran, the protesters burned the national flag of Armenia.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reports:

“The Azerbaijani army has liberated the heights around the village of Madagiz [Agderin (Mardakert) region of Karabakh] from occupation and is keeping this point under its control.

On the night of October 2 and in the morning, fighting continued in different directions along front line.

In the Dzhabrail-Fizuli direction, the enemy’s resistance was broken, and was forced to retreat.”

• News, reports, photos / videos on military operations in Karabakh for October 1, 2020

On September 27, large-scale military operations began around Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Both military and civilian casualties on both sides have been reported.