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Source, Reuters
Arayik Harutyunyan, leader of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which is not recognized by the international community, said that Azerbaijani forces are only 5 kilometers from Shusha, an important and historical city.
Arayik Harutyunyan claimed that the Azerbaijani army, which wanted to capture the city, is continuing its advance.
Harutyunyan called on all Armenians to defend the city in his video message, except for the city’s historic cathedral.
Shusha, in the center of Nagorno-Karabakh, whose Armenian name is Shushi, is of historical importance to both Azerbaijanis and Armenians.
Shusha, which is of strategic importance, is located on the road connecting Khankendi (Stepanakert in Armenian), the largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh, with Armenia.
If Shusha is captured, the Azerbaijani army will have achieved its most important victory in Nagorno-Karabakh since the beginning of the fighting on September 27.
Source, Reuters
Diplomatic efforts have failed
A ceasefire was declared three times in Nagorno-Karabakh during the heaviest fighting since 1994, but both sides soon accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
Talks scheduled for Thursday in Geneva to find a diplomatic solution to the problem, with the participation of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, were postponed.
Source, fake images
The two ministers are expected to meet today with representatives of the United States, Russia and France, co-chairs of the Minsk Group within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which acts as a mediator.
Source, EPA
The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry announced that another 47 soldiers were killed in Thursday’s clashes and that the death toll has risen to 1,166 since September 27.
Underlining that it has made significant progress, Azerbaijan does not explain the losses of its army.
The Armenian administration, on the other hand, acknowledges that heavy losses have occurred in the fighting and calls on volunteers to fight at the front.
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan by the United Nations (UN) and the international community. However, Nagorno-Karabakh and its surroundings, which make up about 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, have been under Armenian occupation since the early 1990s.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, declared in the region in 1991, is not recognized by any country in the world, including Armenia.
