Daily interviewed Nelly Baghdasaryan, Advisor to the President of Artsakh on International Relations
– Yesterday, on October 14, the situation on the Artsakh-Azerbaijani line of contact intensified sharply. What was the reason for that?
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– There are many reasons for the tension, but the murder of Tepnants, a resident of the Martakert region, by an Azerbaijani sniper should be considered as an occasion. On October 14, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces announced the killing of an Azerbaijani serviceman by a sniper fired by the Armenian side, which was denied by the Artsakh Defense Army in an official statement, giving some details. The case is under investigation by peacekeepers.
Following the incidents on October 14, the situation escalated in a number of directions along the line of contact. On October 14, the Azerbaijani side also used combat UAVs, as a result of which we have 6 wounded soldiers, 2 of whom are in stable condition, but their lives are not in danger as a result of successful surgeries. On October 14, the Azerbaijani side also used large-caliber weapons.
According to the Artsakh Defense Army, the Defense Army command is working together with the authorities to defuse the situation. In fact, in the current situation, all the mechanisms are used to stabilize the ceasefire regime. What happened was a provocation by the Azerbaijani side prior to the forthcoming visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to the region. What happened after the tripartite agreement of 2020 is the first large-scale incident of ceasefire violation, for which Azerbaijan is fully responsible.
Of course, an investigation will be carried out into the incident, but I think that there is a need for additional technical means for monitoring and controlling the line of contact. I think there is a problem for Russia to talk to Azerbaijan and Turkey without any footnotes, as they are the ones responsible for the situation. Such incidents can reoccur as Turkey is represented in the region alongside Azerbaijan. Such actions are aimed at nullifying Russia’s role in peacekeeping, thus expelling it from the region.
Nelly Grigoryan
