Continuation of battles between Azerbaijan and Armenia

1 Syria

The Russian Foreign Ministry made a statement regarding the mechanism for the cross-border delivery of the humanitarian aid to Syria. Moscow considers it unneeded to endlessly extend the mechanism for the cross-border delivery of the humanitarian aid to Syria, since the mechanism is being increasingly used for political purposes — mostly to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. The statement underlined that «since the establishment of the cross-border mechanism, the situation in Syria has changed significantly. The Syrian government has regained the control over most of the country, and the government is actively providing aid to their citizens». It was underlined that «Russia was and still is in favor of providing the humanitarian aid to all needing persons all over Syria, in strict accordance with the norms of the international humanitarian law. However, the discussions in the UN Security Council showed that the Western countries have a problem with the respect for the norms and principles of the international humanitarian law». The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed their hopes that «the necessary measures will be taken soon in order to establish sustainable humanitarian supplies to all parts of Syria from the internal regions, in coordination with Damascus».

2 Azerbaijan — Armenia

On Thursday, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the resumption of the fights in the Tovuz region, on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. «Starting from the morning of 16th of July, the Armenian forces once again tried to attack the positions of the Azerbaijani army on the section of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border in the Tovuz region» — the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced. The Armenian Defense Ministry confirmed the report on the fighting, and added that the Azerbaijani troops tried to commit a sabotage, after which they began shelling the border villages of Aygepar and Movses. “The Armenian troops prevented the hostile sabotage attempt. The enemy suffered losses, and was thrown back” — said the press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan.

3 Armenia

The press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan, announced that on Thursday, in the north-eastern part of the state border, the Armenian troops destroyed an Azerbaijani tank, as well as several artillery pieces that fired at the nearby settlements. «The Armenian troops destroyed a tank, artillery pieces, and firing positions that fired at our settlements and positions» — she reported on Facebook. She added that on Thursday the Armenian Defense Minister, David Tonoyan, contacted the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, and informed him about the escalation of the situation on the border with Azerbaijan.

4 Azerbaijan — Armenia

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense denied the information from the Armenian Defense Ministry that the Armenian troops destroyed an Azerbaijani tank. «This is a misinformation. All Azerbaijani tanks are intact and are in service» — said the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Colonel Vagif Dargahli. He stated that the shells, fired from the Armenian positions, fell on the residential buildings. None of the civilians were hurt. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on the destruction of an Armenian drone that conducted scout flights over the Azerbaijani positions. The press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan, denied the information about the destruction of the Armenian drone by the Azerbaijani forces.

5 Russia

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Andrei Rudenko, stated during an interview to the news agency ‘TASS’ that Moscow will use all the possible means to resolve the current escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He noted that «the primary task of the entire international community at the moment is to quickly stop what have happened over the past two days. The balanced position of the state-members of the Minsk Group is very important» — Andrei Rudenko underlined. «The countries that border this region must show maximum balance, responsibility, and restraint. That includes the public rhetoric» — added the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister.