Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired 2 shells in the direction of a village in Artsakh

Today, at around 10:20, the Azerbaijani side, according to preliminary data, fired 2 shells in the direction of the territory of the village of Khnapat of the Askeran district adjacent to the school, Artsakh Police reports. There are no casualties. Also from the Azerbaijani positions adjacent to the village of Taghavard in the Martuni district, threats are being made to leave the village. Materials are being prepared in the district police departments. 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh reported that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire regime once again at 16:21 in the direction of the villages of Khnapat and Parukh of the Askeran district. 3 shells were fired in the direction of the village of Khnapat, 2 shells fell on the territory of the village of Parukh. There are no casualties. 

Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic and religious hatred has a clear goal – to evict Armenians from Artsakh and carry out ethnic cleansing, Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan said during a discussion today relating to Azerbaijan’s ethnic hatred policy and its consequences.

"The policy of ethnic and religious hatred by Azerbaijan has been carried out also during the Soviet years, and the authorities of the Azerbaijani SSR have always run a policy for making the life of Armenians in the territory of Artsakh not so favorable," he said.

According to him, after the first Artsakh war when the ceasefire was signed, it seemed it was possible to ensure the security of Artsakh and its residents’ right to life on its own, but after that Azerbaijan’s policy of Armenophobia further deepened. "It entered schools, various specific events were being organized, everything was done to bring up a generation in Azerbaijan that literally hates and doesn’t tolerate the Armenian people, moreover, the Armenian Christian people, because there are the two components both the ethnic hatred and the religious one," he said.

The Ombudsman of Artsakh said they witnessed that hatred during the 2020 war because Azerbaijanis were not only brutally killing and torturing the Armenian soldiers, but also were desecrating the Armenian Christian heritage.

PM Pashinyan receives Teresa Ribeiro, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro.

The Prime Minister highlighted the cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the OSCE for effectively promoting democratic reforms in our country. Nikol Pashinyan noted that many reforms have been carried out in the recent years to develop and strengthen democracy in Armenia, including in close cooperation with European partners, and that agenda remains one of the Government's priorities. The Prime Minister underlined the consistent steps taken in the fight against corruption, noting that our country has made significant progress in the reviews of reputable international organizations. The Prime Minister also highlighted the positive changes in the field of press freedom since 2018, noting that in recent years most of the media in Armenia, including television, are opposition-oriented. The Prime Minister added that the reforms in the field of press freedom are carried out taking into account the international practice, experience and standards.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro noted that the steps taken by the Armenian government to strengthen democracy are encouraging and inspiring. Teresa Ribeiro stressed the importance of effective cooperation between the OSCE and the Government of the Republic of Armenia in the field of freedom of speech, including the introduction of new tools in the fight against misinformation. Ms. Ribeiro also noted that the OSCE is ready to facilitate the exchange of experience of journalists and the development of professional skills. The importance of close cooperation between the government and the civil society was also underlined.

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