Azerbaijan’s provocative actions aimed at violating the ceasefire bear the risk of escalating into a full-scale regional war Armenia’s FM to António Guterres

On September 28, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan sent a letter to the UN Secretary General António Guterres, briefing on the large-scale aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and the situation resulting from it. The Minister provided information on the deliberate targeting of the civilian population and infrastructure of Artsakh by using weapons of various calibers and provocative actions by Azerbaijani armed forces.

Regarding the spread of disinformation flows by the adversary, the Foreign Minister noted: “The aggression was pre-planned, and the statements of the Azerbaijani side on the alleged counter-attack are absolutely falsified. Azerbaijan has never concealed its strategic goal of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by the use of force, while continuously maintaining tension along the line of contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border”.

Foreign Minister expressed deep concern over Turkey’s unconditional unilateral support to Azerbaijan and its aggression. Strongly condemning Azerbaijan’s aggression, Minister Mnatsakanyan underlined that provocative actions aimed at violating the ceasefire are not only a gross violation of international humanitarian law, but also bear the risk of escalating into a full-scale regional war.

Minister Mnatsakanyan criticized Azerbaijan’s provocative actions in contempt of  the call of the UN Secretary General for a global ceasefire. He stressed that the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan bears full  responsibility for the aggression.

Foreign Minister stressed that Armenia, as the guarantor of the security of the people of Artsakh, will take all necessary measures to protect the inalienable rights of the people of Artsakh and to give an adequate response to the Azerbaijani aggression. The right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination is an integral part of the conflict resolution, and by virtue of this right the people of Artsakh must be able to determine its status without any limitation.
Foreign Minister reiterated Armenia’s commitment to an absolutely peaceful resolution of the conflict.

The letter will be circulated as a document of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, under the agenda items 34 (Prevention of Armed Conflicts), 71 (People’s Right to Self-Determination), and 135 (Responsibility to Defend and Prevention of Genocide, War Crimes, Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity), and as a document of the Security Council.