Humanitarian Ceasefire, Once Again, Falls Through, Azerbaijan Continues Pushing

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Over the weekend beginning on October 16^th, Azerbaijani forces appear to have begun taking the upper hand in the war against Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.

After reaching an agreement on the establishment of a humanitarian truce between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 18, with the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, an attempt was made to reach an agreement with the aim of withdrawing wounded soldiers from the battlefield at night.

Azerbaijani forces are in the town of Fuzuli:

On October 18^th, by 20:30 local time, at least 9 UAVs were reportedly destroyed by Armenian forces. Any hope of an actual ceasefire is entirely gone.

As of October 18^th, Armenia has lost 710 confirmed soldiers. While it claims

However, this step was categorically rejected by official Baku.

Furthermore, despite the alleged ceasefire, there was no such thing, clashes continued, and it has, similarly to the Russia-brokered one, entirely fallen through.

Following the agreement falling through, the spokesperson of the Armenian Ministry of Defense Shushan Stepanyan released a video of alleged strikes on Azerbaijani forces.

Armenian military experts noticed that the video shows the destruction of Israeli-made Sandcat armored vehicles. We confirm the authenticity of what was said.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched an attack in the south on October 18, throwing 7 tanks, 1 unit of T-90, 5 armored personnel carriers into battle.

The enemy intended to use a swift attack to exert fire and exert psychological pressure and break through an important sector of the front.

“Thanks to the professionalism and high moral qualities of Colonels Stepan Gevorkyan and Stanislav Eremin, as well as Private Garik Arakelyan, the offensive was stopped, and the enemy was thrown back several kilometers,” Stepanyan said.

On October 19^th, In the morning, despite the agreement on a humanitarian ceasefire, the enemy began shelling in the northern and southern directions.

The units of the Defense Army have resorted to proportionate measures to suppress the fire of the Azerbaijani side and continue to monitor the operational situation.

Armenian media continues releasing hype videos of its forces having success in repelling the Azerbaijani side.

Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, as well as President Armen Sarkissian are calling for international support in recognizing the Artsakh republic.

Currently, Armenia refuses to do so, but wants others to recognize it.

Regardless, President Sarkissian said that if Azerbaijan continued its aggressive movements, then Armenia would be forced to recognize it.

“If it becomes clear that Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey, will refuse to negotiate, then, naturally, Armenia will recognize the independence of Artsakh,” Sarkissian said.

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning Azerbaijan’s aggression:

“We strongly condemn the gross violation of the humanitarian ceasefire agreement by Azerbaijan, which entered into force on October 18 at 00:00.

Ignoring the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, an the night of October 17-18, the very first day of the humanitarian ceasefire, Azerbaijani-Turkish forces violated ceasefire agreements three times on various fronts, resulting in casualties on both sides. From 00:04 to 02:45 in the northern direction, and from 02:20 to 02:45 in the southern direction, the Azerbaijani side shelled the positions of the Artsakh Republic Defense Army. At 07:20 in the morning, after the shelling, the Azerbaijani-Turkish forces attempted to attack in the southern part of the frontline, in the direction of Khudaferin Reservoir, along the border between the Artsakh Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The irresponsible and destructive actions of the Azerbaijani side testify that Azerbaijan and Turkey are neither willing nor able to fulfill their obligations under international conventions, nor the agreements reached on humanitarian ceasefire mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries. Once again, Azerbaijan and Turkey have demonstrated that they continue to view the humanitarian ceasefire agreements and the negotiations, in general, only in the context of a military solution to the conflict.

Only the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh can stop the Azerbaijani-Turkish treacherous behavior that undermines the efforts and authority of the international mediators. The recognition of the independence of the Artsakh Republic will put an end to the attempts to resolve the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict by force, will give the necessary impetus to the effective continuation of international mediation efforts within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

We reaffirm our commitment to maintaining a humanitarian ceasefire on a reciprocal basis, which will become a reality only if Azerbaijan is forced to fulfill its obligations.”

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev posted on Twitter saying that Baku was writing “glorious history.”

Drone strikes and other attacks continue happening, inflicting heavy losses.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Brief Overview Of Recent Azerbaijani Drone Strikes On Armenian Forces (Videos)
• Azerbaijani Troops Push Along Nagorno-Karabakh Border With Iran (Videos)