A resumption of shelling on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border this morning has been reported.
● Armenian Defense Ministry: All night the enemy used attack drones in the area of Jermuk. From 08:00 artillery, mortars and large-caliber small arms used at Jermuk and Verin Shorzha. Both military and civilian infrastructure are being shelled.
● Azerbaijani Defense Ministry: Azerbaijani positions were bombed at night by the Armenian Armed Forces. The positions of the Azerbaijani army in the Kalbajar and Lachin areas came under fire. At present, Azerbaijani positions are periodically being fired upon. Appropriate response measures have been taken.
● Already more than 100 soldiers have been killed on both sides since the beginning of military clashes on the night of September 12-13. According to officially confirmed data, 49 Armenians, 50 Azerbaijanis.
What the CSTO has decided
● The CSTO will send a mission to Armenia headed by Secretary General Stanislav Zas. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a military alliance of several post-Soviet states under the auspices of Russia. Armenia is part of it, Azerbaijan is not. The mission sets the task of “assessing the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.” But the time of its arrival is unknown, and there is no further info about it. It was announced that the head of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov, and representatives of the organization’s member states would accompany the Secretary General. Which states will be represented is still unknown.
● The mission will prepare a report on the situation in the region and propose options to de-escalate the conflict. The document will be presented to heads of state at a session of the Collective Security Council to be held this autumn in Yerevan.
● The creation of a CSTO working group for constant monitoring of the situation on the border was also proposed. But, again, no timeline has been specified.
● Russian President Vladimir Putin informed the CSTO Council “of additional practical steps taken by Moscow to de-escalate the situation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan”. What these might be was not specified.
● Since the beginning of renewed fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on the night of September 12-13, the Armenian authorities have called on the CSTO to provide assistance in their ensuring territorial integrity. During an extraordinary meeting, Yerevan’s representative to the CSTO, Viktor Biyagov, accused Azerbaijan of “gross violations of international law and the ceasefire”, again “provocative and aggressive actions” against Armenia.
Looking ahead to meeting in Samarkand
On September 15-16, 2022, the city of Samarkand (Uzbekistan) will host a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) with the participation of many leaders of regional states.
As part of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish leader will come to Uzbekistan at the invitation of Putin, because Turkey is not a member of the SCO. A discussion of the latest developments in the region is expected.
There are also planned meetings of the Russian president with Azerbaijani President Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan. Azerbaijan and Armenia are observer countries in the SCO. The possibility of a trilateral Putin-Aliyev-Pashinyan meeting is possible.
