In recent days, we have had the most serious aggravation of the military situation since November 9, said the RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his statement today.
"Last Saturday, taking advantage of the fact that the Russian peacekeepers have not yet been deployed in the area, the special forces of the Azerbaijani Army attacked the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the Hadrut region of Artsakh and took control of those settlements. I should say that there was no civilian population in that area. As a result of these actions, six servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army were wounded. There is information about other victims, which is being clarified", said the Prime Minister.
Pashinyan reminded that at yesterday's meeting of the Security Council he said that it was a separate subject of discussion why the peacekeepers had not been deployed in Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher sections until Saturday.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the fact is that on Saturday and Sunday the peacekeeping forces were already deployed there, as well as they published an updated map of their area of responsibility, which also includes the area around the villages of Khtsaberd and Taghavard.
"This means that the Russian peacekeepers must ensure that the status of the territory is in line with the provisions of the November 9 trilateral statement. This, in turn, means that as of the 9th of the month, the area was under the control of Armenian forces, it must remain under the control of Armenian forces.
The actions taken by Azerbaijan are openly provocative, but they are also aimed at devaluing the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh. They want to show that the peacekeepers are unable to stop their provocations, and the fate of the Khtsaberd, Hin Tagher sections is the first serious test for the Russian peacekeeping mission. Especially since the Artsakh Defense Army cannot follow the same logic as the Azeris. I mean, the Armenian side should not take actions that can directly or indirectly question the effectiveness of the peacekeepers' activities", the Prime Minister added.
