NEWS.am digest: UN convenes session amid Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia

Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the breaking news as of 15.09.22:

ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN

Amid Armenian-Azerbaijani clashes, which resulted in the death of 105 Armenian soldiers, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed parliament on Wednesday and answered lawmakers’ questions. However, one of his statements sparked confusion and outrage. The prime minister said he is willing to make a “difficult” decision to sign a “peace treaty” with Azerbaijan, even if it meant that people would ask for his ouster from office.

According to the prime minister, they want to sign a paper, as a result of which ‘Armenia will receive lasting peace and security on an area of 29,800 square kilometers.’

Prime minister Pashinyan has also mentioned that Azerbaijan has occupied over 50 square kilometers of Armenia.

Later on Wednesday, he sought to assure citizens that he had not signed any document with Azerbaijan as people, outraged after his comments at the parliament, staged protests calling the prime minister to resign.

Meanwhile, in her Thursday's statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova noted that the Yerevan-Baku peace treaty is being prepared even despite current tensions.

“Russia strives to bring the positions of the two parties closer together,” she added.

Zakharova also noted that to discuss the current situation, the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group from Russia, Igor Khovaev, visited Baku and Yerevan recently.

CEASEFIRE

Yerevan and Baku have reached a ceasefire agreement as of 8 pm Wednesday with the mediation of the international community, Armen Grigoryan, Armenia’s Security Council Secretary told Public TV.

“Naturally, it would not be possible to have a ceasefire without an agreement. Let’s hope that Azerbaijan will continue to observe it,” said Grigoryan.

The Defense Ministry, in turn, noted that as of 11am Thursday, no significant incidents were recorded on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

CIVILIANS

As a result of shelling from the Azerbaijani side on September 14, a civilian was killed in the village of Noravan, Syunik province of Armenia.

Meanwhile, the number of Armenia’s civilians who are injured as a result of the Azerbaijani shelling has reached seven.

As of Thursday, four of these civilians continue to receive inpatient treatment in hospitals, the Armenian health ministry reported, adding that the seventh civilian was discharged from hospital after receiving outpatient treatment.

UN SESSION

The UN Security Council convened a meeting to discuss Armenia's letter on Azerbaijan's military aggression against the territorial integrity of Armenia.

During the session, the UN welcomed the ceasefire agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan expressing hope that the ceasefire will be respected.

The UN Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Miroslav Jenca noted that the UN, at Armenia's request, would send a mission to the country to assess the situation on the border․

The representative of France, in turn, called on Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from the borders of Armenia to their original positions.

The delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border should be carried out exclusively through negotiations, he added, noting that, given the advance of Azerbaijani forces beyond certain segments of the border, Armenia's territorial integrity must be respected.

Meanwhile, the US’s representative said they are deeply concerned about the outbreak of fighting on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as reports of shelling of civilian infrastructure on Armenian territory.

Russia, in turn, noted that they consider the use of force unacceptable and count on the implementation of all Russian-brokered cease-fire agreements.