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Armenians and Azerbaijanis fought violent fighting over most of the front on Saturday in Nagorno Karabakh, and the Yerevan authorities claimed that the separatist forces had repulsed a “massive attack” by Baku.
The president of this separatist territory, Arayik Harutyunian, Dressed in military uniform, he told reporters that he had started “the last battle” for Nagorno Karabakh, adding that he was joining the front lines to fight alongside his troops.
The separatist army “managed to stop the massive attack of the enemy,” said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense, Shushan Stepanian, on his Facebook page, while mentioning “intense fighting” and that “the Armenian forces counterattacked in one of the sectors of the front.”
In an address to the nation, the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pachinian, He said Armenia faces “perhaps the most decisive moment in its history.”
A “national prayer for Nagorno Karabakh and its defenders” was held at night in the churches of Armenia and its diaspora.
In the capital of Karabakh, Stepanakert, first targeted by artillery fire on Friday, explosions were heard on Saturday morning, an AFP correspondent found.
Nagorno Karabakh, an Azerbaijani territory populated mainly by Armenians, gained independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, sparking a war that claimed 30,000 lives.
“Historical objective”
“The enemy deployed reinforced troops. Our soldiers show heroic resistance, ”the Armenian army spokesman declared on Facebook, Artsrun Hovhannisyan.
Arayik Harutyunian declared in the same tone to journalists that “the nation and the mother country are in danger.”
For his part, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, he reiterated his call for the withdrawal of the Armenian forces from the Azerbaijani “occupied territories” as a “precondition” for a ceasefire.
“We are going to recover our territories, it is our legitimate right and our historical objective,” he declared in an interview with the Al Jazeera television network.
“We can’t wait 30 more years […] The Karabakh conflict must be resolved now, ”he stressed.
The Azerbaijani army claimed that 19 Azerbaijani villages were the target of Armenian gunfire at night and claimed that it had taken “firm retaliatory measures”, demanding in particular the taking of separatist positions.
The Armenian authorities announced on Saturday the death of another 51 separatist soldiers, so the balance, very partial, since the start of hostilities last Sunday rises to 242 dead: 209 soldiers from Karabakh, 14 Armenian civilians, and 19 civilians Azerbaijanis. Baku does not report its losses.
However, each side claims successes denied by the other and reports the deaths of hundreds of enemy soldiers every day. The Armenians say that more than 3,000 Azerbaijani soldiers have died since Sunday, while Baku claims to have killed 2,300 Armenian soldiers.
“Concern” of foreign powers
As a neighboring country of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Iran it warned on Saturday against any “intrusion” into its territory, after mortars hit Iranian villages along the border.
Georgia, another country in the Caucasus, temporarily suspended the overflight in its territory of military cargo planes from Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The two parties in conflict are currently ignoring the multiple calls of the international community for a ceasefire, such as the one on Friday Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, who called for “an immediate end to hostilities.”
Russia, the United States and France, the three countries involved in the mediation in this conflict, also demanded, in vain, a ceasefire.
Many powers, such as Russia, Turkey or Iran, have interests in this area of the South Caucasus.
Another issue of concern is the alleged sending of proturkish fighters, especially Syrians, to the front, in support of Azerbaijan, which is supported by Turkey.
Without directly naming Turkey, Russian President Vladimir Putin first expressed “deep concern” about this during a conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
France previously claimed that 300 “jihadist” fighters left Syria in the direction of Azerbaijan, passing through Turkey, constituting a “red line”.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) indicated that at least 64 Syrian Proturkish fighters have died in Nagorno Karabakh since the start of the fighting.
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