The tension on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia is of concern to the international community. The sides on Thursday reported new attacks on civilian targets, as well as those killed and injured in the clashes.
The defense departments of Azerbaijan and Armenia issued statements in the morning about the shelling of their villages and civil infrastructure near the Northern part of the border between the two republics. According to the press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan, the Armenian armed forces "prevented an attempt to break through the enemy's sabotage during the night." Also, the Ministry said the shelling of the villages of Aygepar and Movses. Later, the official representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan said that a resident of the border village of Chinari was injured as a result of a drone strike by the Azerbaijani armed forces.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, in its turn, denied Yerevan's reports about the shelling of Armenian villages on the border and stated that a long-serving soldier was killed in the fighting on the border with Armenia. During a video conference on Thursday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the country was ready to negotiate a settlement of the Karabakh conflict only in substance. The head of state stressed the need to activate the activities of the OSCE Minsk group, which acts as a mediator in the settlement of the Karabakh problem.
Meanwhile, in the afternoon, the parties exchanged harsh statements about the possibility of striking strategic targets. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has warned that in the event of a strike on the Mingachevir reservoir, the Azerbaijani armed forces may retaliate against the nuclear power plant in Armenia. "The Armenian side should not forget that the new missile systems currently in service with our army allow us to launch high-precision attacks on the Metsamor nuclear power plant, which could lead to a great catastrophe for Armenia," the head of the military Department's press service, Vagif Dargyakhly, told reporters.
Yerevan called this statement a crime. "I would like to emphasize that Armenian officials have never mentioned the possibility of attacking the civil infrastructure of Azerbaijan. We don't even fire at homes. Such statements are criminal, " Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said during the briefing.
International response
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said in an open interview with TASS on Thursday that Russia would use all possibilities to resolve the current tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As Rudenko stressed, "Russia has such opportunities" and had used them more than once. The diplomat noted that now "the primary task of the entire international community is to quickly stop what has been happening in recent days on the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia" and stressed the importance of a "balanced position" of the states that are members of the Minsk group. Rudenko also held a meeting with Azerbaijani Ambassador to Moscow Polad Bulbul oglu on Thursday, during which the sides discussed the current situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for security and co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) Gigi Tsereteli held an online conversation on Thursday with the personal representative of the current Chairman of this international structure, Andrzej Kasprzyk, during which he called for strengthening monitoring in the Karabakh conflict zone. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said on Thursday that the Iranian side was ready to act as a mediator in the settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. The Tajik Foreign Ministry also made a statement, expressing concern about the armed incident on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and calling on both sides to prevent further escalation.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed concern about the worsening situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border on Tuesday, and Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Thursday at a meeting with Azerbaijani Deputy Defense Minister Ramiz Tahirov, who flew in for consultations, assured that the army of the Republic remained on the side of Baku and was ready to help it in crisis situations.
Resignation amid conflict
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev dismissed Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who had held the post for 16 years, on Thursday. Jeykhun Bayramov, who previously headed the Ministry of Education of the Republic, was appointed the new head of the Foreign Ministry.
Mammadyarov's dismissal followed sharp criticism from the head of state, which he subjected to the activities of the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers devoted to the socio-economic development of the country in the first half of 2020. Aliev noted that the country's diplomatic activity could have been "more effective" and that diplomacy should be "offensive, not passive and defensive". The President stressed that he had repeatedly indicated at meetings in the Foreign Ministry and embassies in foreign countries what steps to take in connection with the Karabakh conflict, how to defend the country's economic interests and respond to unfounded accusations against Baku, but the instructions were not followed. Aliyev also noted that on July 12, when the situation on the border with Armenia escalated, he could not find Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov at his workplace.
Escalation of the conflict
The situation on the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia escalated on July 12. Azerbaijan declared an attempt by the Armenian armed forces to attack the positions of the Republic's army using artillery, while Yerevan called the attempt to break through from the Azerbaijani side the reason for the aggravation. Baku reported about twelve dead soldiers of the Azerbaijani army. Yerevan said four soldiers were killed and ten wounded.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in February 1988 and was caused by the issue of ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh, which declared its secession from the Azerbaijani SSR. During the 1992-1994 armed conflict, Azerbaijan lost control of the region and seven adjacent districts. Since 1992, negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict have been held within the framework of the OSCE Minsk group, which is chaired by Russia, the United States and France.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Ministry of Defense of Armenia
Based on materials from TASS