Azerbaijani strikes on Armenian territory continue into a second day despite the international community’s calls for peace. Azerbaijan claims it responded to a ‘large-scale provocation’ by Armenia.

[Read on OC Media: 13 September live updates and yesterday’s sum-up]

Armenia has claimed 105 military casualties so far, while Azerbaijan has announced the death of 71 service members.

A map of Azerbaijani strikes on the territory of Armenia since 13 September 2022, as reported by Armenian official sources and media. At least 23 localities were hit.

For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

Armenia: ceasefire agreed

The Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, has announced a ceasefire.

‘With the involvement of the international community, an agreement on a ceasefire was reached. We hope Azerbaijan will keep that ceasefire’, he said.

Anti-government protests spread to Gyumri and Stepanakert

As the protest in the center of Yerevan has grown larger, two spontaneous protests have also erupted in Armenia’s second largest city Gyumri and Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital, Stepanakert. 

The protesters demand Pashinyan’s resignation following his controversial comments about a possible peace agreement with Azerbaijan. Demonstrators in Yerevan gave the ruling party until 01:15 to come to Parliament, threatening to ‘go after everyone’ in their houses otherwise.

A large rally in front of Armenia’s parliament — triggered by Pashinyan’s controversial comments on Karabakh today. This is not organized opposition or any political force, but a spontaneous gathering of mostly young urbanites, whose support the government has lost in 2019-2020 pic.twitter.com/xk6XBM4ddu

— Grigor Atanesian (@atanessi) September 14, 2022

In an opinion piece for OC Media, Bahruz Samadov argues that Azerbaijani politics has taken a dark turn towards irredentism with a cult of brute force and victory. 

‘There can be no lasting peace with Armenians until we dismantle the vengeful founding myths of our national identity and reject violent nationalism.’

Read the full story: Opinion | The war never ended; the peace process never existed.

Freedom House condemns Azerbaijani attack

Freedom House president Michael J Abramowitz has issued a statement ‘in response to the Azerbaijani military’s ongoing strikes on locations within the Republic of Armenia’.  

In it, he called on the Azerbaijani armed forces to ‘immediately cease their deadly attacks on Armenian territory and commit to the ongoing peace process facilitated by the EU, the US, and Russia’. 

‘Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia should be carried out through diplomacy and negotiation, not through artillery and drone strikes’, the statement reads. 

Freedom House welcomed Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to discuss the fighting in the UN Security Council, urging ‘democratic governments to consider additional steps to protect Armenia’s territorial integrity’.

In this week’s Caucasus Digest podcast, OC Media’s staff discuss the fighting along the Armenia–Azerbaijan border.

 

Abdullayeva blames Armenia

Leyla Abdullayeva, spokesperson of Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, has again blamed Armenia for the continuation of fighting.

‘Despite calls of international community ceasefire agreement Armenia continues artillery strikes at Azerbaijan/i positions’, she wrote on Twitter.

‘We call on Armenia to REFRAIN from its destructive activities OBSERVE humanitarian ceasefire. Peace is only possible on the basis of strict adherence to International Law.’

Armenian Defence Ministry reports calm on the front

The Armenian Ministry of Defence has reported that shooting had stopped ‘in all directions’ since 20:00, and that ‘no significant incidents have been recorded’.

They also claimed that unverified reports online of Azerbaijan taking control of settlements in Armenia ‘a lie’.

Pashinyan: no document ready to be signed

Following his controversial speech in the Parliament earlier today, Nikol Pashinyan went live on Facebook dismissing reports that an agreement was currently being prepared to be signed.

He said that there is ‘no document’ or a plan to sign a document in the near future. He clarified that when he spoke of being ready for an agreement he meant that Armenia ‘is ready for a comprehensive solution’. 

Pashinyan also spoke about the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian population there, stating that that issue was among the issues raised by Armenia during peace talks. 

‘I don’t want you to have suspicions, even for a minute, that we’ll do anything against the state’, Pashinyan said. 

Armenians take to the streets

Around 1,000 people gathered in front of the government and parliament buildings in Yerevan calling for the Armenian government to resign.

The protest was sparked by a statement from Pashinyan earlier today suggesting he was willing to recognise Azerbaijan’s Soviet-era borders in exchange for the same from Azerbaijan. The move would mean acknowledging that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan.

Parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan went live on Facebook shortly after the protests began, clarifying Pashinyan’s statements. He stated that the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh was never a ‘territorial issue’ for Armenia, but an ‘issue of rights’, including the right to self-determination of people. 

EU representative meets Azerbaijani FM

The EU’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov earlier today.

According to Azerbaijan, Bayramov blamed Armenia for the current situation.

According to the Azerbaijani readout of the meeting, Klaar ‘emphasised that it is necessary to stop the clashes and stabilise the situation’. 

He also reportedly said that the European Union was ready to ‘create conditions’ for bilateral meetings between Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations.

Pashinyan says he is ready to ‘come to an agreement’ with Azerbaijan 

Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan says that if Azerbaijan is ready to recognise the territorial integrity of Armenia, then he is ready to do the same and ‘come to an agreement’. 

‘The Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia has a concrete territory. If Azerbaijan recognises the territorial integrity of that republic, of our republic, I’m ready to come to an agreement based on that’.  

Pashinyan clarified that he meant that he expects Azerbaijan to recognise as part of Armenia the areas occupied by Azerbaijan since 2021. According to him, Azerbaijan had occupied over 40 square kilometres of land in 2021 and ‘another 10 square kilometres’ have been occupied during the ongoing clashes. 

‘We want to sign a document, as a result of which many will criticise us, many will curse, and many will call us traitors. Maybe the people will decide to kick us out of power… we’ll be grateful, if as a result, the Republic of Armenia gains sustainable peace and security within its borders’. 

Azerbaijan: Lachin under shelling

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence has said that the Armenian military is shelling Azerbaijani military positions in Lachin.

‘Response measures are being taken by our units’, reads a statement by the ministry.

Azerbaijan blocks TikTok

The Azerbaijani State Security Service has announced that it has blocked TikTok for ‘security reasons’.

‘Information is being published on the TikTok that overshadows the successes of our army, contains military secrets, and aims to create a wrong opinion in the society. In connection with the above, it was decided to temporarily limit the activity of the TikTok social network in the territory of Azerbaijan, and this petition has been filed with the relevant authorities’, stated the Security Service.

Armenia similarly blocked TikTok yesterday.

Azerbaijan: Armenia launching attacks from residential areas

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence has accused Armenia of deploying units, weapons, and military equipment along the border near buildings and civil infrastructure, and ‘deep within the territory of Armenia’, thus making them ‘legitimate military targets’ for Azerbaijan.

‘Armenia is trying to turn these firing points into legitimate military targets and to deliberately expand the coverage zone of military operations’, read the ministry’s statement.

Azerbaijan: Armenia making CSTO a ‘tool for its dirty deeds’

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence has denied targeting Russian military facilities and vehicles in the Armenian region of Gegharkunik.

‘By spreading such information, the Armenian side aims to dress the large-scale provocations it has committed on the Azerbaijan–Armenia state border with an international guise and make the Collective Security Treaty Organisation a tool for its dirty deeds’, read the ministry’s statement.

Latest figures: 105 Armenian soldiers killed

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that 105 Armenian soldiers have been killed since the conflict began on 13 September. 

In his speech to Parliament, Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan had taken control of ‘some’ territories, and that this was one of the reasons for Armenia’s application to the CSTO under Article 4, which states that an attack on one member state will be considered an attack on all. 

‘I bow my head before our martyrs,’ Pashinyan said. 

Armenia expects international community to ‘force’ withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops

Armenia’s ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukyan has stated that Armenia expects the international community not only to ‘[stop] Azerbaijan’s aggression’ but also to ‘force the latter to withdraw its armed forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia and return to the positions as of May 2021, before the commencement of Azerbaijani aggression’. 

He also calls on the international community to address the issue of ‘legal responsibility’ for Azerbaijan’s attacks, which he states were ‘not… provoked by any means’. 

Azerbaijani MFA calls on Armenia for a ceasefire 

The Ministry’s statement calls for an end to ‘the military provocation launched by the Armenian armed forces against Azerbaijan’, and claims that the Azerbaijani army is engaged in ‘retaliatory measures against legitimate military targets’. 

It also notes that Azerbaijan is ready ‘to unilaterally hand over the bodies of Armenian soldiers who committed sabotage against the territorial integrity of our country to the Armenian side’, and claims that Armenia’s military actions ‘show that this country is interested in escalating the situation in the region’. 

‘We call on Armenia to refrain from its destructive activities and observe a humanitarian ceasefire. Peace in the region can be ensured only on the basis of strict observance of international law,’ the statement concludes. 

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister receives senior US diplomat

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has met with US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Philip Reeker.

During the meeting, Bayramov said that ‘it is important for Armenia to fulfil its obligations within the framework of the agreements reached, including the complete withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan and an end to provocations’.

Azerbaijan calls for ceasefire, ready to hand over bodies of ‘up to 100 Armenian soldiers’

Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners and Missing Citizens Taken as Hostages issued a statement calling on Armenia for a ceasefire, and declaring ‘its readiness to unilaterally hand over the bodies of up to 100 Armenian servicemen who died as a result of the prevention of provocation against the territorial integrity of our country on 12–13 September of this year.’ 

It notes that the International Committee of the Red Cross has been informed. 

Armenian MoD reports new attacks on civilian settlements

The Armenian MoD reports that the situation ‘has become extremely tense again’ and that the Azerbaijani side has resumed its attempts to advance into Armenian territories.

‘Starting at 13:00, along the border from Sotk to Goris, the enemy started shelling with rockets, targeting peaceful settlements, and widely using combat UAVs’. 

‘Vehicles of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) that were carrying out a humanitarian mission in the combat zone were also hit’, the MoD spokesperson stated.

Iran stresses readiness to mediate

In a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said that Iran is in favour of resolving issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia through peaceful negotiations, reiterating Iran’s readiness to mediate.

Aliyev meets European Union representative

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received Toivo Klaar, the European Union’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus.

Klaar expressed his concern about the ongoing fighting on the Azerbaijani–Armenian border, while Aliyev stressed that the Armenian leadership was responsible for the tensions.

Armenia: over 2,500 displaced from Gegharkunik and Syunik

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender has said that more than 2,570 civilians were displaced from their homes from around two dozen settlements in the Gegharkunik and Syunik regions. The majority of those displaced were women, children, and elderly. 

According to the statement, at least four civilians were wounded since the start of the fighting, while fires had broken out in a number of forested areas as a result of the shelling.

‘The work of the rescuers is further complicated by the fact that some of the fires are located in the control zone of the Azerbaijani military, and in some cases, these areas are actively bombarded’. 

Azerbaijan: reports about Azerbaijan targeting residential buildings ‘baseless’

‘There is no real basis for the information spread in the Armenian press that the units of the Azerbaijani Army allegedly fired on residential houses’, read an Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence statement on Facebook.

‘This is provocative disinformation from the other side. We state once again that units of the Azerbaijani army do not target civilian infrastructure.’

‘Civilians were killed’, Armenian Parliament Speaker

In the first official statement addressing civilian deaths since the fighting broke out, Armenia’s Parliamentary Speaker has said that ‘civilians were killed’ as a result of Azerbaijani attacks.

‘The Armenian side has victims, including civilians, and we have suffered significant losses of military equipment. The Azerbaijani armed forces do not stop their attempts to attack’, Simonyan wrote in a letter addressed to ‘international partners’.

Simonyan did not specify the number of civilians killed, but there have been various official reports of civilian infrastructure being targeted by Azerbaijani attacks. So far, only three civilians were reported to be injured as a result of the fighting.

Azerbaijani MoD: Armenian shelling in Kalbajar

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence has said that the Armenian military is firing at military positions in Kalbajar using long-ranged artillery weapons.

The ministry again cast the blame on the Armenian side for the continuation of the conflict.

Azerbaijani MoD: two civillian injured in Goranboy and Kalbajar

In a joint statement, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence and the General Prosecutor’s Office have confirmed that two civilians were injured in Goranboy and Kalbajar during the ongoing military clashes.  The civilians were hospitalised in Ganja, and their health condition is ‘satisfactory’.

Russia’s representative to visit Baku and Yerevan

Igor Khovayev, the Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and a Special Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry focused on ‘normalising relations’ between Azerbaijan and Armenia, will visit Yerevan and Baku for the second time this month. This follows a visit to Baku last week and meetings with Armenian officials in Yerevan yesterday.

Denis Gonchar, the CIS Director of Department for the Caucasus, told Ria that the purpose of this visit was to ‘work on the text of the peace agreement [between Armenia and Azerbaijan]’. 

Armenian ambassador accuses Azerbaijan of occupying its territories

Armenia’s ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukyan stated that on the night of 12–13 September, ‘Azerbaijan occupied Armenian territories’. Marukyan said that Azerbaijan had previously occupied over 45 square kilometres of Armenian territories in May 2021.

Armenian MoD reports new attacks

The Armenian Ministry of Defence reports that Azerbaijani forces resumed their offensive on the morning of September 14 at around 8 a.m. It states that the ‘artillery, mortar, and large-calibre rifle’ attacks have been concentrated in the regions of Jermuk, Vayots Dzor, Verin Shorja, and Shorja. According to the MOD, the situation ‘continued to be tense’ overnight, with UAV attacks in Jermuk.

Main events from yesterday

• Azerbaijan launched an attack on positions inside Armenia at around midnight on 13 September which continued throughout the day.
• Armenia appealed to Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) for assistance. Russia responded by calling for both countries to respect the 2020 ceasefire and said it was working on de-escalating the tension. The CSTO announced it was launching a fact-finding mission and a working group to monitor the situation. Article 4 of the CSTO treaty states that an attack on one member will be considered an attack on all, and obligates members to provide military support. Armenia also has a bilateral defensive pact with Russia.
• Azerbaijan appealed to the UN to ‘mobilise all resources and expertise’ at its disposal to assist in the ‘humanitarian demining’ of Azerbaijan.
• Independent Azerbaijani media suggested that pro-government media and MPs are pushing to normalise the idea of Azerbaijan creating a ‘buffer zone’ inside Armenian territory.
• At least nineteen different locations inside the territory of Armenia along the border with Azerbaijan were hit by Azerbaijani missiles.
• Azerbaijan claimed that Armenian military units had planted landmines in Lachin and Kalbajar — control of both regions was given to Azerbaijan at the end of the second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
• The attacks rapidly drew international condemnation, with NATO, the EU, and the US Department of State, among others, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
• The US, the EU, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, with an explicit call from the US to President Aliyev to respect the ceasefire. Philip Reeker, the US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, arrived in Baku. France called for ‘respect for the territorial integrity of Armenia’ and said it would raise the escalation at the UN Security Council today.
• Georgia and Iran offered assistance in resolving the conflict.