US Ambassador to Azerbaijan visits occupied Shushi

ArmInfo. The 30th Annual Session  of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe  Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) took place in Vancouver, Canada,  where the members of the delegation of the RA NA took part. The  Member of the delegation of the National Assembly Artur Hovhannisyan  gave a speech at the Meeting of the General Committee on Democracy,  Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions.

ArmInfo. U.S. Secretary Blinken Antony Blinken has stated that the negotiations in Washington proved constructive and progress has been made, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien said in an interview with the Public TV of Armenia as she commented on the latest U.S.- brokered negotiations between the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs.

ArmInfo. On July 3, at 3:50m, the Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Shushi, using a mortar. 

ArmInfo. The authorities of Artsakh are not under pressure from Armenia, nor are they directed by them. President of the Republic Arayik Harutyunyan stated on July 3 at the National Assembly of Artsakh.

ArmInfo. Baku's provocation in Artsakh, on June 27, was aimed to neutralize Armenia's efforts to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the solution of issues of ensuring rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan stated at a Cabinet meeting on June 29.

ArmInfo. Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to U.S.  President Joe Biden, held a meeting with the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov. 

ArmInfo. On the night of 27-28 June 2023, the Azerbaijani armed forces, in flagrant violation of the ceasefire and the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, using artillery and combat UAVs  attacked the positions of the Defence Army of the Republic of Artsakh, as well as objects located deep in the territory of Artsakh, which left 4 servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Artsakh killed.  This is stated in the statement of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh.  As the Ministry's press service reports, the statement reads: "The already common attempts by the Azerbaijani side to lay the blame for this attack on Artsakh are groundless. This is also indicated by the statement of the Minister of Defence of Azerbaijan, who on 26 June, just two days before this attack, stated in an interview that the Artsakh Defence Army did not pose any threat to Azerbaijan and at the same time threatened to conduct a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh with the forces of one army corps. Therefore, the Azerbaijani Defence Minister admitted that it is his country, which is the aggressor and which militarises the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict zone.  This unprovoked deadly attack once again demonstrates that Azerbaijan has not abandoned its plans to resolve the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict with the use of military force. The attack of 28 June by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the territory of Artsakh, like the previous numerous cases of shelling and attacks on civilians, are a clear manifestation of the genocidal policy consistently pursued by Azerbaijan with tacit non-resistance on the part of the international community.  We once again draw the attention of the international community to the fact that Artsakh has been under blockade for almost 200 days, which is becoming increasingly tight and inhumane. The population of the Republic is deprived of gas and electricity supply. Over the past 14 days, Azerbaijan has completely blocked the delivery of humanitarian cargo to the Republic of Artsakh, which has been carried out over the past more than six months in a limited regime by the Russian peacekeeping forces and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).  The Azerbaijani authorities do not even hide their intention to carry out ethnic cleansing. The President of this country has publicly stated this on numerous occasions. The statement made by the Minister of Defence of Azerbaijan on 26 June that the residents of Artsakh, who do not wish to accept the authority of Baku, must leave their homeland is another evidence of the real intentions of Baku in relation to Artsakh and its people.  We also draw attention to the fact that, as it has repeatedly happened before and during important meetings, the June 28 attack occurred at a time when another round of talks between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan kicked off yesterday in Washington, DC, and became yet another confirmation that Baku is trying to impose its ultimatum and maximalist demands through coercive measures, including the use of military force.  The fact that Baku is not ready to engage in negotiations in good faith is also indicated by the statements made by the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 23 June in an interview with Reuters. In particular, he rejected the idea of international guarantees of the rights and security of the people of Artsakh under the pretext that this was an alleged internal affair of Azerbaijan. Trying to present the settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, including the issue of ensuring the rights and security of the people of Artsakh, as an internal affair of Azerbaijan, the authorities of this country are actually trying to legitimise their plans to carry out ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. Such statements also indicate Baku's desire to undermine the efforts of international actors aimed at creating conditions conducive to finding a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict.  Against this background, the statement made by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry a few days before the armed attack about the alleged readiness of this country to provide assistance to the residents of Artsakh is a manifestation of extreme cynicism. The best assistance that Azerbaijan can provide is its strict adherence to the ceasefire, ending its transport and energy blockade of the Republic of Artsakh, and the full implementation of the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020 and the Order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023 regarding free, safe and unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  We note that the deliberate infliction of suffering on the 120,000 population of Artsakh and the deepening of the humanitarian crisis as a result of the complete blockade of the Lachin Corridor amount to war crimes under international law. We reiterate that the international community as a whole, and in particular the international actors involved in the peace process, as well as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, have a direct responsibility for preventing further deepening of the humanitarian and security crisis in Artsakh, as well as for a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the norms and principles of international law and ensuring lasting peace and stability in the region. In this regard, we once again emphasise the need to use all the levers and instruments at their disposal to put pressure on Azerbaijan in order to ensure its compliance with the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, as well as the immediate implementation of the legally binding Order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023."

ArmInfo. It is very important for the Russian side that the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan be constant and stable. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced on July 28 at a briefing.

ArmInfo. In the recent days of the almost 200-day-long blockade of Artsakh, the criminal and terrorist policy of Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh has been increasingly combined with irrefutable facts and manifestations of the use of force and threat of force by Azerbaijan, which targeted persons and equipment engaged in agricultural work, as well as units of the Artsakh Defense Army performing exclusively the function of protecting civilians. This is stated in the statement of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan.

ArmInfo. On June 28, President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan convened an operational meeting to discuss the current military and political situation. This was reported by the press service of the head of the Artsakh state.

ArmInfo. The Russian Federation is concerned about the increased number of armed incidents and violations of the ceasefire regime in Nagorno-Karabakh. This was announced on June 28 at a briefing by the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova.

ArmInfo. The Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh denies the information that, 8 Karabakh servicemen were allegedly wounded as a result of Azerbaijani provocation on June 28.

ArmInfo. Through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), 14 patients were transported from Nagorno-Karabakh to specialized medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia, along with their accompanying persons, the press service of the Ministry of Health of Artsakh reports.

ArmInfo. The France-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group condemned another attack by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the Republic of Artsakh.

ArmInfo. Azerbaijani armed  forces opened fire on the Armenian combat positions in Martuni and  Martakert, killing four Armenian servicemen. 

ArmInfo. Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan chaired a working meeting, which discussed the politico-military situation and humanitarian problems caused by the Azerbaijan-imposed blockade.

ArmInfo. "Everyone recognizes that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, but this does not give the Azerbaijani government the right to do whatever it wants with these people." This was stated by Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, referring to the situation in the Lachin corridor.

ArmInfo. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire in the direction of an Artsakh citizen doing agricultural work

ArmInfo. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) transported today 17 patients with 11 accompanying persons from Nagorno-Karabakh to specialized medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Health of Artsakh.

ArmInfo. On June 22-25, Panama hosted the highest meeting of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY World Congress). The event, held every two years, was attended by organizations from about 70 countries, by 300 delegates.