Azerbaijan Continues Violating Ceasefire; Two NKR Servicemen Killed

Azerbaijan Continues Violating Ceasefire; Two NKR Servicemen Killed

Catholicoi Visit NKR Military Hospital, Hold Mass in Shushi

STEPANAKERT, NKR (A.W.)— Armenian serviceman Manvel Grigoryan was killed by Azerbaijani fire on the eastern direction (Martuni) of the Line of Contact (LoC) at around 11:20 p.m. on April 14, according to a press statement released by the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Ministry of Defense.

A scene from the funeral of serviceman Adam Sahagyan, which took place on April 12 at Yerablur (Photo: Ara Keuhnelian)

According to the statement, Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire agreement several times firing 82- and 60-mm mortars, and AGS-17 grenade launchers on Armenian positions in the northern (Gyulistan), northeastern (Talish-Martakert), eastern (Martuni), and southern (Hadrut) directions of the LoC on the night of April 14-15. The NKR Defense Ministry said that NKR forces performed combat tasks in line with these developments and continue to control the situation on the LoC.

Another Armenian serviceman, Hamlet Hajoyan (b. 1970), was killed by Azerbaijani fire on the northeastern direction (Talish) of the LoC earlier on April 14, according to an NKR  Ministry of Defense press statement. The Ministry did not release any additional details, as the incident is currently under investigation.

A day earlier, Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire agreement several times firing various caliber weapons on Armenian positions in the northeastern (Martakert) and southeastern (Nadrut) directions of the LoC on the night of April 13-14. Azerbaijani Special Forces also attempted a subversive attack in the southern direction of the LoC at around 4:55 a.m., which was thwarted by the NKR forces.

On April 14, Azerbaijan announced that an Azerbaijani Armed Forces serviceman had been killed, reported Reuters. A day earlier, On April 13, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Istanbul, Turkey and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the President of Turkey’s press office.
Catholicoi Visit NKR Military Hospital, Hold Mass in Shushi

His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, visited the Central Military Hospital in Stepanakert on April 13. The Catholicoi were accompanied by Ashot Ghoulyan, Speaker of the NKR National Assembly.

Catholicos Karekin II offering his blessing to a wounded solider (Photo: armenianchurch.org)

During their visit, military hospital director Zori Saghyan provided updates about the condition of the wounded NKR servicemen as a result of the large-scale military aggression carried out by Azerbaijan. The Catholicoi also visited the recovering servicemen and offered their blessings. Following their visit to the hospital, the pontiffs toured the capital of Stepanakert with NKR President Bako Sahakyan. A day later, on April 14, the Catholicoi held a mass at Surp Ghazanchetsots Church in Shushi.

The Catholicoi touring Stepanakert (Photo: armenianchurch.org)

Sahakyan’s official meeting with the pontiffs took place on April 13 in Stepanakert. The meeting focused on the situation on the NKR LoC and the large-scale military aggression carried out by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on April 2-5, according to a press statement released by the President’s office. During the meeting, Sahakyan noted that the entire Armenian nation demonstrated exemplary unity, cohesion, patriotism, and dedication, and stressed the important role of the Armenian Apostolic Church in this process.

A scene from the mass in Shushi (Photo: NKR President’s office)

Below is a short interview with the Catholicoi on NKR TV.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Serviceman Wounded by Azerbaijani Fire

Another NKR Defense Army serviceman was wounded as a result of violations on the NKR LoC by Azerbaijani forces on the night of April 12-13. According to a press statement released by the NKR Ministry of Defense, Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire by firing various caliber small arms, including sniper rifle and mortar fire.

“The advanced detachments of the NKR Defense Army are attentively following the developments and undertaking respective measures when necessary,” read a part of the statement. No further details about the wounded serviceman were released by the Ministry.

The statement noted that Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire a total of 106 times, to which NKR forces retaliated 23 times in order to stabilize the situation, according to the statement.

A day earlier, on the night of April 11-12, Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired shots from various caliber weapons, including three 82-mm shells, four 60-mm mortars, and 17 grenades, in the northeastern (Martakert) and southeastern (Hadrut) directions of the LoC. Azerbaijani forces also used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for intelligence missions in the eastern and southern directions, according to a press statement released by the NKR Ministry of Defense, on April 12.

The ministry also released an updated list of the 56 deceased NKR servicemen who were killed as a result of the large-scale military aggression carried out by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on April 2-5. Several NKR Defense Army servicemen who were injured on April 2-5 are currently receiving medical treatment at the main military hospital in Stepanakert; others have been transported to hospitals in Armenia.

According to a press statement released by Armenia’s Defense Ministry, a total of 96 people (including civilians) have been killed between April 2 and 13 as a result of Azerbaijan’s military aggression.

Source: Armenian Weekly Mid-West