By what logic did the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan appear at the RA border in a UAZ car? How did the situation worsen? 1lurer.am has compiled the chronology of events.
UNCERTAIN ATTEMPT OF AZERI SOLDIERS
On July 12 at around 12:30 pm servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces attempted to cross the RA state border in the direction of Tavush in a UAZ car. Ministry of Defense spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan stated in a Facebook post. "After the warning of the Armenian side, the Azerbaijani servicemen left their UAZ car and returned to their position. At 13:45, the Azeris repeated the attempt to occupy the border position of the Armenian armed forces using artillery fire, but were pressured by the Armenian side, suffering losses and being thrown back. There are no losses from the Armenian side".
2 VICTIMS, 5 WOUNDED AMONG AZERI SOLDIERS
According to the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan two servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were killed and 5 others were wounded in an incident on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on July 12.
ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO SHELL
On July 12, at around 10:49 p.m., the Defense Ministry spokesperson again posted on Facebook, announcing that the Azerbaijani side had started shelling in the direction of the same Armenian position, where hours ago they had tried to cross the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in a UAZ car. "The Azerbaijani side resumed shelling from the 82 mm mortar in the direction of our same position. The entire responsibility for the escalation of the situation will bear the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan", the statement said.
ARMENIA - OSCE
The RA Minister of Defense David Tonoyan informed the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, that the personnel and command of the Armenian army were instructed to remain restrained, and in case of provocations of the enemy in the direction of the RA borders, to respond - up to taking new favorable positions. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the RA Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense, is in constant contact with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, presenting the situation on the ground and the dangers of its further aggravation.
NEUTRALIZATION OF ALL ATTEMPTS OF ENEMY
The spokeswoman of the Ministry of Defense made a note on the night of July 13 at 01:13, informing that the shootings continued regularly with different intensity. The Armenian Armed Forces have no casualties. All attempts of the enemy were targeted and neutralized. She said that the Armenian armed forces do not fire in the direction of Azerbaijani settlements. Only the engineering infrastructure and technical means of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are targeted.
JULY 13: RESUMPTION OF PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS
On July 13, at 08:19 in the morning, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Defense informed that the enemy resumed the provocative actions in the morning and continued shelling in the direction of the Armenian positions. "After a two-three hour break, in the morning the enemy resumed the provocative actions, continuing to shell in the direction of the Armenian positions. An adequate response was given by the units of the Armed Forces. An increase in the enemy's losses is not ruled out, ", Shushan Stepanyan wrote.
Foreign Ministry - CSTO
On July 13, the RA Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a telephone conversation with CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas. We were later informed that due to the aggravation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas initiated a special session of the CSTO Permanent Council on July 13, but it was postponed.
DEATH OF AZERI OFFICER
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has officially announced that senior lieutenant Mahmudov Rashid Rashid Oglu was killed in a resumption of hostilities in the direction of Tavush in the morning. The previous day, the Azerbaijani side reported the loss of 2 servicemen in the direction of Tovuz and 5 wounded. One of the wounded soldiers later died at the hospital, Razm.info reported.
LIGHT PHYSICAL INJURIES
The spokeswoman of the Ministry of Defense made a note on July 13, at around 10:35 in the morning, informing that two of the policemen on duty at the border received light bodily injuries from the weapons used by the enemy.
UAZ, AZERI CONFOUNDED SOLDIERS AND SHELLING
At the special sitting of the RA National Assembly on July 13, the Minister of Defense David Tonoyan reported to the Prime Minister that after the armed incident on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the shelling resumes regularly, every 15-20 minutes, by using artillery of different calibers. The break was at night: 3: 30-5: 30. The Minister said that after reporting to their superiors on the first day, the Armenian servicemen were instructed to leave the area, taking into account the possible confusion of the Azeri servicemen or lack of knowledge of the geography or operative situation. Leaving the car, the Azerbaijani servicemen returned to their positions. After that, 82 mm mortar were fired at the same position. The enemy, suffering losses, retreated. To the Prime Minister's question that there is an impression that the Azeri soldiers may have got lost, and for some reason, after the warning of our soldiers, they left the car, is it possible that it is connected with that car, they wanted to return it? That is why they started that operation. Tonoyan detailed in responce: "If there was such a desire, they would get in touch at some point, an agreement would be reached not to shoot, so that the car could be returned, but the shelling started immediately".
OMBUDSMAN - INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURES
The RA Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan informed that he had sent to international organizations the first interim report on the shelling of the Tavush region of the Republic of Armenia on July 12, 13 in English. The report was sent to the UN Human Rights Council in a separate procedure.
MOVSES VILLAGE - SHOTS
The administrative head of Movses village Artak Papyan said that there were no shots fired at the village. He said that there was no panic in the village, a prayer for peace was said in the church.
ARMENIA - EU
EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar wrote on Twitter that they were concerned about the shootout on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. According to him, the two countries may show restraint, use all means of communication. On July 13, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a telephone conversation with Joseph Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission.
ALIYEV - URGENT SESSION
On July 13, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Ali held an online emergency meeting of the Security Council. He made a speech, after which the session was held behind closed doors.
ARMENIA-RUSSIA
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the armed incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, expressing its deep concern. "We call on the conflicting parties to show restraint, to strictly follow the maintenance of the ceasefire regime. The Russian Foreign Ministry is ready to provide the necessary assistance to stabilize the situation", the statement said. On July 13, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan also had a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The ministers discussed the tense situation in a part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the ways to overcome it. Sergey Lavrov also had a separate telephone conversation with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. Lavrov called on the parties to cease fire immediately, to show restraint, taking into account the commitments made, as well as the proposals of Russia, the United States, France, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.
USAGE OF DRONES
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense informed on July 14 at 15:26. "The situation on the border with Azerbaijan is regularly escalating, at the moment the shelling and the use of strike drones have decreased. The RA Armed Forces are in full control of the situation. The Armenian side has no losses".
INFORMATION WAR
The Information Verification Center reported that the tense situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is accompanied by propaganda carried out by the enemy on social networks, dissemination of misinformation, as well as direct attacks on computer networks and servers.
CHINARI VILLAGE - PROJECTILES
On July 13, at 4:27 p.m., the Defense Ministry spokeswoman again posted on her Facebook page, this time informing that the Azerbaijani armed forces fired three projectiles from a 120 mm caliber mortar in the direction of Chinari settlement. One of the projectiles fell on the house, two in the yard. There were no victims.
THE HEALTH CONDITION OF WOUNDED SOLDIERS
In response to the question about the three wounded servicemen from the weapons used by the enemy at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the spokesperson of the RA Ministry of Defense Shushan Stepanyan told 1lurer.am at 17:00 that they are light shrapnel wounds, their lives are not in danger.
ARREST OF FORMER AZERI DEFENSE MINISTER
Former Defense Minister Rahim Gaziyev (served from March 1992 to February 1993) has been arrested by Azerbaijani State Security Service. According to Azerbaijani media, he was arrested for spreading misinformation about the situation on the border with Armenia. R. Gazi stated that the Azerbaijani side had 12 victims in the incident on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
OMBUDSMAN: NEW FACTS OF CHINARI SHELLING
The RA ombudsman's staff received calls from the villagers and from the head of Chinari community. According to those alarms, about a dozen shells were fired by the Azerbaijani side, and residential buildings in the village were damaged. The staff of Chinari village handed over photos taken after the shelling, which testify to the damage caused to one of the houses in the village. In another case, the roof of a residential house was damaged, and children were in the house at the time of the shelling. Immediately after the alarms addressed to the Human Rights Defender, the official statement of the RA Ministry of Defense was released that the Azerbaijani armed forces fired 7 projectiles from 82 mm mortar and 3 projectiles from 120 mm caliber mortar in the direction of Chinar settlement.
SUPPORT OF THE BISHOP GATHERING
On July 13, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,at an initiative of his Holiness, Catholicos of All Armenians, a meeting of bishops was held under the chairmanship of Catholicos Garegin II. Praying for the speedy recovery of our children injured in the provocative actions of the Azerbaijani side, they expressed their support to the Armenian authorities, our soldiers of the Armenian victorious Army, the brave children of the border settlements, wishing strength and courage to resist the enemy's attacks.
DESTROYED DRONES
Speaking on behalf of the "My Step" faction at the July 13 special sitting of the National Assembly, MP Andranik Kocharyan said that our armed forces had hit not one, but several drones of the enemy, one of which was a kamikaze.
ARMENIA - AZERBAIJAN - OSCE
The OSCE Minsk Group all 3 Co-Chairs issued a joint statement on ceasefire violations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The Co-Chairs called on the parties to resume the negotiation process as soon as possible and facilitat the visit of OSCE observers to the region as soon as possible.
THE SUPPORT OF CATHOLICOS ARAM I
On July 13, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I had a talk with RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and expressed his blessing and support to the brave Armenian army.
ARMENIA-GEORGIA
On July 13, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a telephone conversation with his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani. Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan presented in detail the tense situation in a part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
RESPONSE FROM UN
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This was announced by the Secretary General's spokesman Stefan Dujarric. The Secretary-General called for an immediate end to hostilities, urging the parties to take immediate steps to stabilize the situation and to refrain from provocative rhetoric.
REACTIONS FROM USA AND ITALY
Congressman Adam Schiff expressed concern over the provocative and destabilizing actions of Azerbaijan on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the direction of Tavush. "I am very concerned about the provocative and destabilizing actions of Azerbaijan along the Armenian border in recent days, including the shelling of Armenian soldiers. These actions endanger the lives of soldiers, civilians, and increase the risk of escalation of the conflict, which could have devastating consequences for the region, especially in the context of the global epidemic", Schiff wrote. Congressman Frank Pallone, Co-Chair of the Armenian Affairs Committee of the US Congress, and Senator Edward Markey expressed their support for Armenia, the Armenian people, condemning the provocative actions of Azerbaijan. Paolo Formentini, a member of the Italian Parliament, also joined the campaign of solidarity with Armenia and the Armenian people, noting: "Let peace overcome violence. We are by Armenia's side". On July 14, US Senator Edward Markey wrote on his Twitter account that he supports Armenia because Armenians are defending their territorial integrity. He noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey must respect the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the aspirations of the Armenian people in Artsakh and immediately stabilize the situation.
JULY 14. ARMENIAN-AZERI BORDER
Military expert Artsrun Hovhannisyan posted on his Facebook page at 07:41 that the night was relatively calm on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the direction of Tavush.
ENEMY'S TANK MOVEMENT. SUSPENSION BY FIRE
On the morning of July 14, at 08:41, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Defense made a note, informing that at night the movement of the enemy tank was observed from the combat positions of the RA Armed Forces, then was stopped by the fire.
Today, military expert Artsrun Hovhannisyan again made a note at 10:49, informing that Azerbaijan has not signed a capitulation yet. "No matter how severe the losses are, it's all the same, they have weapons and can shoot. We definitely do more than they do. Please spread nothomg about their shooting", he wrote.
DRONE OVER BERD
The enemy had targeted the civilian infrastructure of Berd with a strike drone. There are no victims. Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan wrote about it on her Facebook page at 11:15.
PUNITIVE ACTIONS
The Ministry of Defense released a video entitled "Punitive Actions". It presents how the units of the RA Armed Forces are destroying the Azeri bases that shelled the border settlements of Tavush.
RA MFA SPEAKER'S NOTE
The RA Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan made a post on Facebook at 11:35, noting: "The Azerbaijani side continues its aggressive actions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and population, expanding the geography of tension. Today, the civil infrastructure facilities of Berd city were shelled by a strike ATS. "These aggressive actions against the security of the civilian population of the Republic of Armenia will receive an adequate response, for which the Azerbaijani side bears all the responsibility".
OMBUDSMAN - SECOND INTERIM REPORT
The RA Human Rights Defender, at 12:34. "Currently the Human Rights Defender's Office is preparing the second interim report in English to send to the international organizations on the shelling of Chinari, Aygepar-Berd settlements of Tavush region", Ombudsman said.
CRIMINAL CASES INITIATED
Criminal cases have been initiated in the Berd Investigation Division of the Tavush Regional Investigation Department of the RA Investigation Committee. They are related to the case when the enemy fired at the checkpoint belonging to the RA Police, located near the "Tavush" reservoir, as a result of which the mentioned checkpoint was damaged by a projectile explosion, and two RA Police officers of Tavush police department were wounded. The Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case in connection of the enemy firing in the direction of Chinari. On July 13, at around 3:10 pm, shots were fired in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on the border with the Chinari settlement of the Berd community of the Tavush region on the grounds of national hatred, in order to kill many people in a life-threatening manner, illegally, intentionally destroying property.
DEATH OF AZERI GENERAL
Artsrun Hovhannisyan informed on Facebook at 13:12 that the news of the Azerbaijani general's death had been confirmed. Later, at 1:40 p.m., he announced that the news of the death of the artillery chief, Colonel Ilham Mirzoyev, had been confirmed. At 1:49 p.m., Hovhannisyan said that on July 14, the Azeri Defense Ministry reported that Majors Ahmedov Namik Hajanoglu, Novruzov Anar Gulverdioglu, servicemen Zeynall Ilgar Ayaz oglu, Baba Yasar Vasifoglu, contract soldier Mustafazade Elchin Arifoglu were killed.
VIDEO OF PUNITIVE ACTIONS
The Ministry of Defense has released a new video presenting the nightly punitive actions.
SERVICEMEN DEADLY WOUNDED BY THE ENEMY
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan posted on Facebook at 2:38 p.m., informing that Major Garush Hambardzumyan and Captain Sos Elbakyan were fatally wounded by enemy fire in the north-eastern part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border. "The Ministry of Defense shares the grief of the loss and extends its condolences to the families, relatives and colleagues of the deceased servicemen," the statement said.
CSTO's CALL
The CSTO expressed its deep concern over the escalation of the situation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and called for an immediate ceasefire. "CSTO Secretariat expresses concern over the tense situation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has arisen since July 12, after the armed clashes between the units of the Armed Forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as a result of which there are dead and wounded. The current situation does not contribute to the settlement of the conflict between two neighboring countries, one of which is the Republic of Armenia, a CSTO member state, it points to the violation of the ceasefire agreements, which was ensured at the level of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan", the CSTO said.
DESTRYING OF A DRONE
The RA Ministry of Defense spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan made a post on Facebook at 2:47 p.m., Informing that the air defense subdivision of the Armenian Armed Forces attacked the drone, which was a fire control system of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
