YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARTSAKHPRESS. The Pashinyan Administration’s Government Program’s 2022 report mentions the consequences of the September Azerbaijani aggression against sovereign territory of Armenia and the international community’s reaction.
On 13 September 2022, the Azerbaijani military launched a major aggression against Armenia, deploying large caliber weapons, artillery, rocket systems and UAVs.
222 troops and 3 civilians were killed in the attack.
293 troops and 7 civilians were wounded.
20 troops were captured.
36 towns and villages, including Goris, Sisian, Kapan, Jermuk, Vardenis, Tegh and Geghamasar in the provinces of Syunik, Vayots Dzor and Geghakurnik came under Azerbaijani gunfire.
192 homes, 3 hotels, 2 schools, 1 medical facility, 1 entertainment venue and 4 barns were either partially or fully destroyed. 7 power infrastructures, 5 water supply infrastructures, 3 gas pipelines, 1 bridge, 2 roads and 1 street were damaged.
2 ambulances and 4 civilian cars were hit.
The Azerbaijani military invaded into the sovereign territory of Armenia in a number of directions.
150 square kilometers of sovereign Armenian territory is under Azeri occupation following its aggressions in 2021 and 2022. Another 75 square kilometer of sovereign Armenian territory is under Azeri occupation since the 1990s.
The report says that following the aggression Armenia officially invoked its Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance with Russia, applied to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) seeking help under Article 4, as well as the UN Security Council to hold debates on the attack against Armenia.
On September 13, the CSTO Collective Security Council held an emergency session through video-conference. Pursuant to the council’s decision, the operative team of the CSTO Joint Staff arrived in Armenia on September 15 to carry out monitoring. The CSTO Collective Security Council session took place in Yerevan on November 23, during which Armenia emphasized that it hasn’t received adequate reaction from the CSTO regarding the Azerbaijani aggression against sovereign territory of Armenia. Armenia stated that the draft CSTO Collective Security Council Declaration and On Joint Actions for Providing Support to Armenia documents – that were envisaged to be signed during the session – didn’t contain a clear political assessment or an action plan on eliminating the consequences of the Azeri aggression against Armenia and restoring its territorial integrity.
In addition, due to the unclear positions expressed by a number of CSTO member countries, a need for clarifying the CSTO area of responsibility has emerged. Without the clarification of the mentioned issues, Armenia found it inexpedient to sign the abovementioned documents, hence the decisions were not adopted.
Based on Armenia’s request, on September 15, France chaired an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council regarding Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenia. The UNSC members stated the inadmissibility of the use of force and attached importance to the adherence to the norms of international humanitarian law, acknowledging the fact that civilian infrastructures have been hit in Armenia during the attack.
On October 17, the European Union sent EU observers to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as a result of the agreements reached during the 6 October 2022 quadrilateral Prague meeting between PM Pashinyan, Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev, President of the European Council Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron.The mission ended on December 19, 2022. The EU approved a new mission, the EUMA, for a two-year term in Armenia on January 23, 2023. The mission was launched in Armenia on February 20, 2023.
