Human rights defenders call on Armenian authorities to ask for UN and OSCE assistance

According to nine NGOs, violation of territorial integrity and threat to security give the Armenian authorities grounds to appeal to the UN Security Council and OSCE.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on July 28, local battles began at the border of the Gegarkunik Region of Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia, the Azerbaijani armed forces captured a combat post, but were pushed back. There were wounded on both sides, and three Armenian soldiers were killed. The parties, mediated by Russia, agreed on a ceasefire. However, today, they have exchanged accusations of violating the ceasefire.

The US authorities called on the parties to the conflict to comply with the ceasefire regime. In turn, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked Russia to create military strongholds on the section of the border in question.

Authors of the appeal, including Transparency International and the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, call on to request the OSCE to send a special mission to Armenia to monitor the situation in the border zones.

According to the NGOs, the Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia has not stopped since November 2020, when a ceasefire was announced in Karabakh. The escalation of the border conflict was the result of a lack of proper response from the international community, the authors of the appeal suggest.