Pashinyan says Yerevan should not take miscalculated, abrupt steps

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Sep 2023 17:25

The Armenian head of State said that Azerbaijan has effectively carried out actions that are clearly in violation of the line of contact in an attempt to take control of positions and settlements.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivers a speech at the National Assembly of Armenia in Yerevan, Armenia, on Sept. 13, 2022. (AP)

After Azerbaijan announced that its Defense Ministry has launched "anti-terrorist activities" in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday that Yerevan will not take any miscalculated moves in the context of the heightened tension in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Earlier today, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that Baku had initiated regional "anti-terrorist activities" within the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh area with the aim of "restoring the constitutional order." Due to a lack of military action, angered demonstrators in Yerevan blocked the Tigran Mets Avenue in close proximity to the government premises amidst the mounting tension.

"We should not take any miscalculated, abrupt... steps at the moment," Pashinyan said in a video message posted on social media.

"As expected, statements are being made from various places to carry out a coup in Armenia... It is very important that the rule of law is respected in Armenia and stability is maintained since the violation of law and order and stability is the goal set by the forces seeking to act against the Republic of Armenia," he added.

🇦🇲🇦🇿Protesters in Yerevan chanting "Nikol (Pashinyan) is a traitor!" pic.twitter.com/sQrmzGSBDU
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) September 19, 2023

He further said in his video that Azerbaijan has effectively carried out actions that are clearly in violation of the line of contact in an attempt to take control of positions and settlements.

"Azerbaijan is carrying out actions to violate the line of contact and take control of positions and settlements," Pashinyan said, adding that attempts to trigger a military escalation with the Armenian armed forces are intolerable.

"The situation along the Armenian border is relatively stable, we have no visible change in the situation. But the main purpose of these actions is to involve Armenia into the fighting… There are internal and external forces that want to involve Armenia in large-scale hostilities... Attempts to involve Armenia in military escalation are unacceptable for us" Pashinyan said.

Baku's anti-terror operation

The Azeri Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that Azerbaijan had launched an "anti-terrorist operation" in Nagorno-Karabakh, almost three years after it went to war over the disputed mountainous region with Armenia.

"Anti-terrorist operations in the region of a local character have begun," the Ministry said, adding that it was using "high-precision weapons on the front line and in-depth" as part of the operation.

The statement pointed out that Azerbaijan informed Russia and Turkey about the military activities it was carrying out.

"The command of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the Turkish-Russian Monitoring Center were informed about the activities being carried out," the Ministry said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Azeri security services confirmed that four police officers and two civilians were killed in separate mine blasts in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, blaming "sabotage groups" amid tensions with neighboring Armenia.

The security services said two men died in the Khodzhavenskiy district and four police officers were later killed while on their way to the blast site.

It said the two civilians were killed around 4:00 am by a mine placed by Armenian separatist "sabotage groups".

The blast happened "in the zone of temporary deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent," deployed by Moscow in 2020 as part of a ceasefire deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The police officers who subsequently died were on the road to Azerbaijani-controlled Shusha.

Azerbaijan opened a terrorism probe into the incident. The deaths came a day after aid deliveries resumed to breakaway Karabakh territories, raising hopes for tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease.