War

I plan to introduce a resolution in Congress calling for Azerbaijan to immediately cease their attacks on Armenia and Artsakh. Adam Schiff

I plan to introduce a resolution in Congress calling for Azerbaijan to immediately cease their attacks on Armenia and Artsakh. Adam Schiff

US Congressman Adam Schiff condemned Azerbaijan's actions. "I am deeply distressed by yesterday’s reports that Azerbaijan is, once again, launching deadly and unprovoked attacks on the Armenian people – this time shelling homes in the villages of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard in Artsakh, and later firing on civilian and military infrastructure in the Armenian border cities of Goris, Stok, and Jermuk. These Armenian cities are not disputed lands – they are internationally-recognized Armenian towns and territories. This is not only an egregious violation of Azerbaijan’s ceasefire agreement with Armenia – it is a direct attack on Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and yet another appalling escalation of the Azeri violence that has devastated the Armenian people for the past two years. It comes just days after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev shook hands in Brussels, where they declared their intentions to reach a peace agreement. And it happened just hours after the United States’ new Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group — the international body tasked with reinvigorating the peace process — arrived on a diplomatic visit to Baku. The audacious nature and timing of these latest attacks show the unchecked bounds of President Aliyev’s aggression, as well as his contempt for the international community’s efforts to bring stability to the Caucasus. And perhaps, these actions should not come as a surprise — given the international community has time and time again chosen to meet his aggression with deafening silence, emboldening him to continue, and expand, his unprovoked attacks on the Armenian people, knowing there will be no repercussions. That must change – and America must lead the way. The State Department and the Biden administration need to unequivocally condemn Azerbaijan’s actions, and immediately and permanently cease U.S. military security assistance to the Aliyev regime, as has been the Congressional intent of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. We must send a resounding message that there is a price to pay for such naked belligerence. Until we do, Azerbaijan will continue to terrorize the people of Armenia and Artsakh until its most horrific aims are achieved. Late last night, I spoke with Armenian Ambassador to the United States Lilit Makunts, who emphasized the senselessness and intensity of this latest violence. I shared my deepest condolences for the casualties that are still being tallied, my resolve to pursue swift and meaningful accountability for the Armenian people, and the need for the State Department to act quickly. In the coming days, I plan to introduce a resolution in Congress calling for Azerbaijan to immediately cease their attacks on Armenia and Artsakh, underscoring the importance of Armenia’s sovereignty, and demanding a full prohibition on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan. This latest violence cannot go unanswered – because until America truly demonstrates its support for the Armenian people, more innocent blood will be spilt," Schiff wrote. 
18:32 - 13 September, 2022
The Defender presented the consequences of the Azerbaijani attack to the international partners

The Defender presented the consequences of the Azerbaijani attack to the international partners

The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Kristinne Grigoryan, held an online briefing with the heads of diplomatic missions, and representatives of international organizations accredited in Armenia regarding the situation of border communities of the Republic of Armenia, as a result of the ongoing Azerbaijani attack, Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia reports. In particular, the Defender presented the factual data collected by the Defender’s office regarding the aggression of the Azerbaijani armed forces against the Republic of Armenia, including the facts and evidence of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. The Defender had separate briefings with the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Dunya Mijatović and the co-rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Armenia and the secretariat, presenting the situation. During the briefings, the Defender Ms. Kristinne Grigoryan emphasized that the Azerbaijani actions are essentially a direct aggressive attack on the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, as well as has endangered the life and security of Armenian peaceful population and jeopardized the enjoyment of other fundamental rights. The Defender assured the international partners that she will regularly provide information about the ongoing situation and asked the interlocutors to adequately assess the current events.
16:34 - 13 September, 2022
An extraordinary session of the CSTO Permanent Council

An extraordinary session of the CSTO Permanent Council

On September 13, upon the initiative of the Armenian side, an extraordinary session of the CSTO Permanent Council was held under the chairmanship of Viktor Biyagov, the Permanent and Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the CSTO, with the participation of CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valeriy Semerikov and the Head of Joint Staff Anatoly Sidorov, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia reports. During the session, the Representative of Armenia briefed the members of the CSTO Central Committee that in the midnight on september 13, the armed forces of Azerbaijan, grossly violating international law and the ceasefire regime, carried out provocative and aggressive actions against the sovereign territory of Armenia, attempting to advance positions in some directions. The armed forces of Armenia were brought to a high-level military readiness and carried out the defense of their entrusted areas. The actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces are considered a gross violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia - a CSTO member state, and the situation may lead to a large-scale armed conflict. Victor Biyagov noted that Armenia appealed to its allies in the CSTO, expecting effective collective steps to ensure the security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia within the framework of the CSTO Charter. He expressed confidence that CSTO mechanisms are capable of restraining the aggressor.
16:04 - 13 September, 2022