Artsakh’s capital of Stepanakert was an overnight target of Azeri airstrikes following the conclusion of an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Anush Ghavalyan, who represents the Office of the Security Council of the Republic of Artsakh, was tweeting that sirens were blaring throughout the early morning hours. Edgar Elbakyan, a political scientist currently based out of Stepanakert, tweeted that an Azerbaijani UAV hit the center of the city at 2:35 a.m. local time.
At 05:54 am, I’ve opened my eyes after a-30-min sleep, as an air-raid siren started to sound in the capital #Stepanakert again. #Azerbaijan’s aggression against #Artsakh /#NagornoKarabakh people countinues on the 4th day.
— Anush Ghavalyan (@aghavalyan) September 30, 2020
The airstrikes follow a closed-door UNSC emergency session, which was requested by Britain, Belgium, Estonia, France and Germany. The diplomats expressed concern over the ongoing attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh. Security Council members echoed earlier calls for a ceasefire by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and urged both sides to stop fighting, de-escalate tensions and resume negotiations immediately. “Security Council members expressed their full support for the central role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and urge the sides to work closely with them for an urgent resumption of dialogue without preconditions,” read the statement.
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) board member Ani Tchaghlasian expressed disappointment in the UNSC’s statement. “The international community continues to turn a blind eye to Azerbaijan’s aggression further emboldening Aliyev and now giving Erdogan a free hand to continue destabilizing the South Caucasus. The responsibility for the continued escalation of the war in Artsakh lies squarely on the shoulders of the international community – which refuses to confront Aliyev’s reckless aggression,” she stressed in her comments to the Weekly.
The fighting has notably continued to intensify as Armenian military officials reported on Tuesday that a fighter pilot was killed after his flight was shot down by a Turkish F-16.
Also on Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in favor of the Armenian government, which had filed a request on Monday to apply interim measures against Azerbaijan. Armenia’s Representative before the ECHR Yeghishe Kirakosyan tweeted the ECHR’s decision to “apply the interim measures under Rule 39, calling upon both Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from taking measures, which might entail breaches of the Convention rights of the civilian population.” Kirakosyan reported that Armenia had presented a significant amount of evidence that Azerbaijan has been targeting civilians and settlements since its incursion on Sunday.
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