The end result of the statements by the heads of Turkey and Azerbaijan about their readiness to implement the adjusted military plans for a joint war has made it imperative for the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to speak about the threat of recurrence of the Genocide hanging over the Armenian people. The relevance of the “Never Again” principle for the Armenian people is due to the genocidal attacks on the Armenian population of Azerbaijan during the Perestroika in the USSR, which were in response to peaceful political rallies of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians for the right to self-determination and secession from the Azerbaijani SSR in accordance with the USSR legislation and international law. We are talking about the pogroms in Sumgait and Kirovabad in 1988 and in Baku in 1990, as well as war crimes committed against the civilian population of Armenia during the April war of 2016.
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an amendment by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) which calls for greater Congressional oversight over a U.S. military aid program under which Azerbaijan has received over $120 million in U.S. defense assistance, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Azerbaijani aggression and its legal-political consequences.
On July 18, Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Zakir Hasanov held phone talks with Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoygu amid the operations that are being carried out on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border these past few days.
Forbes has referred to the threats of Azerbaijan to strike Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The magazine noted that Azerbaijan threatens a Chernobyl-style catastrophe in the Caucasus drone war.
“The Armenian side should not forget that the latest missile systems, which are in the arsenal of the Azerbaijani army, can hit the Metsamor NPP with a great accuracy, which will lead to a great disaster for Armenia”, the Azerbaijani defense ministry spokesperson told reporters at a press conference.
During today’s Cabinet meeting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan commented on the sabotage infiltration attempt carried out by the Azerbaijani special forces at night on the border, which involved more than 100 personnel and aimed at capturing the border position of the Armenian Armed Forces named “Anvakh” located in Tavush province.
Armenian defense minister Davit Tonoyan got in touch with Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Defense minister’s spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan said on Facebook.
We call on Azerbaijan and Armenia for an immediate ceasefire and for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, based on the 2009 OSCE Basic Principles and the non-use of force, territorial integrity and equal rights and the self-determination of people.
“The Azerbaijani armed forces, including the border guard service and the 3rd army corps, have used almost all weapons available in their arsenal, except for several means. All caliber firearms, tanks, artillery, up to 122 mm or larger caliber, most of the artillery, mortars, attacking drones were used”, he said.