Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of a new offensive in Karabakh
The Azerbaijani army has captured the village of Khin Taglar in Nagorno-Karabakh with the help of artillery and is marching on the settlement of Khtsaberd, Armenia said. This forced residents of Stepanakert to gather a spontaneous rally near the Russian peacekeeping military base. At the same time, Baku assures that as of the evening of December 12, the situation in Karabakh is calm and there are no clashes.
Yerevan reported that the Azerbaijani military on Saturday, December 12, launched an offensive on the settlements of Khin Taglar and Khtsaberd in Nagorno-Karabakh, which became enclaves after the rest of the territory of the Hadrut region came under the control of Baku.
According to Armenia, the Azerbaijani army has already captured Khin Taglar with the help of artillery and is moving towards Khtsaberd. six Armenian soldiers were wounded in the exchange of fire. As Hayk Hanumyan, a former member of the Karabakh Parliament, pointed out, the resumption of hostilities forced residents of Stepanakert to gather a spontaneous rally near the Russian peacekeeping military base with a request to explain their inaction.
"The Deputy commander talked to us because [the commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh], General [Rustam] Muradov is not in Artsakh.
The Deputy commander assured us that together with the parties, he tried to stabilize the situation, and our troops remained in positions in Khtsaberd, but the enemy entered there as well. Negotiations are underway at all levels to restore the previous positions. Tomorrow, at 11 o'clock, we will meet again to find out what is happening," Khanumyan explained, as quoted by Sputnik.
In this regard, mane Gevorgyan, Secretary of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikola Pashinyan, stressed that Russian peacekeepers should respond to the renewed aggression of Azerbaijan first of all.
Later, Hadrut mayor Vahan Savadyan said that Russian peacekeepers arrived in Khtsaberd and hin Taher on the evening of December 12, and military operations there stopped.
"Now they are finding out who violated the ceasefire and under whose control the villages will remain, "the Armenian news portal quotes the mayor as saying.
According to the mayor, the territory of the villages was a neutral zone occupied by Armenian soldiers, there were no Russian peacekeepers, and they arrived only after the attack.
At the same time, Baku assures that as of the evening of December 12, the situation in Karabakh is calm and there are no clashes. In addition, the Azerbaijani side stated that the shooting was started by the Armenian military.
"The Armenian side committed provocative actions in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, accompanied by a violation of the ceasefire. The Azerbaijani armed forces have taken adequate response measures. The ceasefire is currently being observed, " the Azerbaijani defense Ministry said in a statement.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev admitted that the incident "causes concern".
"Currently, Russian peacekeepers are carrying out their activities. The situation is relatively stable, " he added.
The day before, the first shooting incident occurred in Karabakh since the armistice was signed. According to the Armenian defense Ministry, the conflict was started by the Azerbaijani military attacking the positions of the Armenian military.
In this regard, Russia demanded that Armenia and Azerbaijan observe the ceasefire in Karabakh, a representative of the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping forces said.
"In order to ensure the safety of Russian peacekeepers and prevent possible incidents, continuous interaction is maintained with the General staffs of the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia," the Russian military Department said in a comment.
This was the first military clash since the beginning of the ceasefire on November 10. As a result of the exchange of fire, three military reservists of the Armenian army received life-threatening injuries.
On the same day, Aliyev said that the joint Russian-Turkish Monitoring center for monitoring compliance with the ceasefire in Karabakh will work in the Agdam region, which has come under the control of Azerbaijan.
The Turkish-Russian monitoring center will monitor the ceasefire. In my opinion, this is a good indicator of regional cooperation. Including cooperation between Turkey and Russia. This is already a reality, " the Azerbaijani President said.
A day before the armed conflict, a military parade was held in Baku, dedicated, as the organizers said, to the victory of Azerbaijan in the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. The ceremony was attended by Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Azerbaijani and Turkish military personnel took part in the military parade on Baku's Azadlig square on December 10.modern armored vehicles, rocket and artillery installations, air defense systems, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as warships and boats of the Azerbaijani Navy decorated with colorful flags were presented.
During his speech, Aliyev recalled that he had repeatedly said that if Armenia "does not return our lands, we will resolve this issue by military means." Notably, among the" historical lands "of Azerbaijan, he named" Zangezur "(Syunik region of Armenia)," Goychu "(Sevan) and" Irevan " (the capital of Armenia, Yerevan).
The latest armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh started on September 27, when Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of violating the truce. The war lasted 44 days.
According to official data, Armenia lost 2,718 people as a result of the clashes. Azerbaijan - 2783 soldiers.
Raphael Fakhrutdinov
