War is not an Option: OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs Urge to Cease the Fire

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) express grave concern over the reported large-scale ceasefire violations that are taking place along the Line of Contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. As informed from the press service of OSCE, the Co-chairs strongly condemned the use of force and expressed regret over the senseless loss of lives, including civilians.

The Co-Chairs call upon the sides to stop shooting and take all necessary measures to stabilize the situation on the ground. They reiterate that there is no alternative to a peaceful negotiated solution of the conflict and that war is not an option.

Along the entire length of the contact line of Nagorno Karabakh- Azerbaijani opposing forces, on April 1 and throughout the morning of April 2, the adversary undertook large-scale offensive military actions, during which the adversary shelled with missile-artillery units not only Armenian defense positions, but also civilian settlements.

According to the data of the Defense Army, the Azerbaijani armed forces fired MM-21 (Grad) multiple rocket launcher on April 2, at 08: 30 in the direction of Martuni (NKR), killing 12 year old Vaghinak Grigoryan and wounding two other children.

The Defense Army conducts successful defensive battles throughout all directions of the contact line, causing significant losses to the adversary’s manpower and equipment.

According to the Defense Army’s data, Armenian forces downed 2 enemy helicopters, destroyed 3 tanks and 2 UAVs.

The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia is in constant contact with international organizations and diplomatic/military representatives of foreign countries for necessary consultations and exchange of information regarding the developments on the contact line of Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijani opposing forces.