Aggravation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

Due to the current escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan announced a partial mobilization. Such order was signed by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. The document was published on the presidential website. «Guided by the Clause 25, Article 109 of the Constitution, I declare a partial mobilization in the Republic of Azerbaijan» — the order stated. Earlier on Sunday, the Azerbaijani authorities announced that a martial law will be introduced all over the country from 28th of September. Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic also declared a martial law and a general mobilization.

The representative of the Armenian Ministry of Defense, Artsrun Hovhannisyan, stated that on Tuesday, the Azerbaijani forces that attacked the Armenian town of Vardenis targeted not only the Armenian troops, but also the civilians. One civilian died as a result. The press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan, reported earlier that the Azerbaijani forces launched an attack with the use of aviation against the Armenian forces near the city of Vardenis, on the Armenian territory. «The enemy action was preceded by misinformation from the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan that the Armenian troops, allegedly, fired rockets at the Dashkesan region of Azerbaijan from the Vardenis region» — the message stated. The Armenian Foreign Ministry stated that the reports from Azerbaijan about the shelling of the Dashkesan region from the territory of Armenia do not correspond to reality. «That information was a lie. It speaks of Azerbaijani plans to expand their area of military operations, which include a start of aggression against Armenia» — the Armenian Foreign Ministry concluded.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported that on Wednesday morning, the intense battles still continue in the Karabakh conflict zone. The ministry reported that the Armenian troops are concentrated in the Magadiz area. The troops tried to go on an offensive. «That enemy activity was suppressed. The Azerbaijani troops are conducting a counter-offensive operation, in order to break the resistance of the enemy» — the message explained. The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported about the artillery shelling of the city of Terter, which is located close to the contact line in Karabakh, by the Armenian troops. The press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan, reported on Facebook about the continuation of the artillery battles along the entire contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh. «During the night, the air defenses of the Artsakh Defense Army shot down 2 enemy drones over the city of Stepanakert» — the message concluded.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported that on Thursday night, the Azerbaijani forces performed artillery strikes against the Armenian positions in Nagorno-Karabakh. The ministry underlined that the Azerbaijani military performed «artillery strikes against the positions of the Armenian forces, deployed in the occupied territories».

The presidents of Russia, the USA, and France — Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, made a joint statement on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. They strongly condemned the escalation of violence, they called for an immediate end of the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, and they also called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan »to immediately take on the commitments in good faith, and, without any preconditions, resume the negotiations on the settlement, with an aid from of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs”. The presidents also expressed their condolences to the families of those who were killed in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, stated at a press conference after the first day of the EU summit in Brussels that the EU calls on Turkey to stop interfering in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. “Everyone must play a more constructive role in order to facilitate a de-escalation. We want the outside interference to stop — it complicates the situation” — he explained. The EU summit stated that «Azerbaijan and Armenia should start negotiations without any preconditions. The European Council expresses its support for the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and asks the High Representative for the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to plan the further EU support for the settlement process». Earlier, the French President Emmanuel Macron stated that more than 300 Syrian Islamic terrorists were deployed to the conflict zone in Nagorno-Karabakh by Turkey. Constantine Reztsov, specially for ANNA NEWS.