7 Key Points
on the recent unprovoked and coordinated aggression
by Azerbaijan and Turkey against
Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh Republic)
Stepan Khzrtian (Twitter: @khzrt)
Last updated: 15:42 GMT, November 13, 2020 (most recent updates are in yellow highlights, updated through October 30, 2020 - except for new recognitions of the Republic of Artsakh, below, which are updated through November 13, 2020)
>> Update: For notes on #RecognizeArtsakh, click here to jump to the relevant section.
(a brief video overview on recognizing Artsakh is available here, which also presents the essence of “remedial secession”)
(References to Artsakh also mean Republic of Artsakh or Nagorno Karabakh Republic; references to the Armenian side mean the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh)
In the early dawn of September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan and Turkey launched a large-scale, unprovoked military attack along the entire line of contact with Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh Republic) as well as against the territory of the Republic of Armenia. This document lays out seven key points on this aggression along with proofs in support of each point, which leads it to conclude:
Azerbaijan and Turkey bear full military, political, and legal responsibility for initiating the current hostilities against Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh Republic) and for their local, regional, and global consequences.
Click on the Key Point below to read the respective proofs:
(a three-minute video overview of the 7 Key Points is available here)
1. Azerbaijan has initiated unprovoked hostilities against Armenia & Artsakh, planned well in advance, thoroughly and in coordination with Turkey
2. Turkey is directly, politically, and militarily involved in the conflict in support of Azerbaijan against the Armenian people
3. Turkey is recruiting terrorist rebel fighters, as mercenaries, from Syria and Libya and transporting them to Azerbaijan to fight against the Armenian people
4. Azerbaijan and Turkey are launching attacks against the territory of the Republic of Armenia as well, making them clear aggressors under international law
5. In gross violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, Azerbaijan and Turkey are targeting civilians and journalists
6. The coordinated aggression by Azerbaijan and Turkey is a continuation of the century-old genocidal intent to exterminate Armenians
7. The aggression has been launched by Azerbaijan and Turkey during a time of global pandemic of COVID-19 and world political turmoil, threatening global health, peace, and stability
1. Azerbaijan has initiated unprovoked hostilities against Armenia & Artsakh, planned well in advance, thoroughly and in coordination with Turkey
Approximately a week before hostilities were initiated, on September 21, Azerbaijan commenced military mobilization of its reservists. On September 24, an article by BBC reported that although reservists were told that the mobilization would only last 15 days, they were later informed that it would instead be ongoing for two months. This mobilization was coupled with the actions of the Azerbaijani police, which during the same period began confiscating civilian pick-up trucks from the streets under the pretext that the vehicles were to undergo mandatory mechanical check-ups.
Amplifying the rhetoric, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev took to the UN stage on September 24, 2020 during the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, using bellicose language to paint Armenia as a terrorism-supporting state that is undermining the peace process. Aliyev has repeated such Armenophobic statements continually in interviews with local media as well.
Military and political authorities ramped up their actions and statements in the lead-up to the break-out of hostilities.
* On September 19, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov met with the leaders of the Azerbaijani armed forces, calling for mobilization of forces under the pretext that the Armenia is preparing for military action.
* This was followed by the interview with Colonel-General Maharram Aliyev, chief military assistant to the president of Azerbaijan, published on September 25, two days before the start of the Azerbaijani aggression. In the interview, published under the headline quoting the interviewee, “The existence of Armenia, as a state, is also called into question”, Maharram Aliyev stated that “the people of Azerbaijan as well as the strong-minded young generation, which has been educated in the spirit of high patriotism, are supporters of the liberation of our lands through military means.”
* That very day, Azerbaijan rejected the request of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to monitor the line of contact with Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).
* The next day, on September 26, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan established a new position within its press service, apparently in anticipation of the large-scale war reporting that was to soon follow.
These are all, in essence, confessionals by the highest echelons of the Azerbaijani military and political authorities of their decision to start war and take measures to cover up their plans to unleash a war.
The build-up of military resources along the line of contact with Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) has not missed the attention of foreign governments either. Days before the break-out of hostilities, the U.S. diplomatic missions in Baku and Yerevan urged their citizens to exercise caution while travelling due to “heightened tensions and recent violence.”
Azerbaijan’s actions and statements during the hostilities also bear testimony to the fact that military actions were initiated by the Azerbaijani side.
* Midday on September 27, merely hours after the commencement of hostilities, Azerbaijan stated that it is launching a counter-offensive operation, whereas according to military practice, it usually takes days, if not weeks, to plan and execute a counter-offensive.
* Similarly, Azerbaijani and Turkish journalists appeared stationed along the line of contact between Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Azerbaijan, on the Azerbaijani side, from the very first moments of hostilities, which similarly speaks of prior knowledge.
* Further, while Armenian authorities and media have reported the losses of UAVs, helicopters, and tanks by the adversary, the Azerbaijani authorities and media have stressed the loss of air defense systems by Armenia, among other military equipment, which are used solely for defensive purposes and not offensive.
* On September 29, in an interview to the Russia-1 channel, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev states that the Azerbaijani army is “honorably fulfilling its task of restoring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.” (emphasis added) Such a task is relevant not for defensive forces that are repelling an adversary’s attack, but for offensive forces that have launched an attack in pursuit of a set agenda.
In addition to the above, Azerbaijan has closed its main international airport, blocked entry for foreign media other than Turkish media, and shut down social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and TikTok. While not direct evidence of initiating aggression, through such actions, Azerbaijan is effectively seeking to control the narrative that is entering or leaving its territory. Azerbaijan has also introduced curfew in its major cities (U.S. Embassy in Baku statement, here). The Baku police appealed to the public about the curfew again on October 4.
In contrast, on October 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a statement that the ministry has accredited groups of journalists from more than 50 leading international media outlets (about 200 foreign journalists), most of whom are already in Armenia and Artsakh. The accreditation applications continue with the same intensity. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia would later point out in her press conference that the attacks by Azerbaijan on local and foreign journalists in Martuni, Artsakh, were a mere few hours after this statement was issued by the Ministry.
With Azerbaijan continuing to block the entry of foreign journalists and Armenia actively accrediting foreign journalists, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia pointed out in his press conference on October 1 that the Armenian side is more keen on having the situation on the ground objectively covered by media for the world.
On October 1, the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of Chile passed a resolution (original text and Armenian translation) condemning Azerbaijan’s military aggression against Artsakh.
On October 3, the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, published his response to the note by Azerbaijan, reaffirming once more OAS’s original statement of September 27 strongly condemning the military aggression by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh and asserting Azerbaijan’s full responsibility regarding the aggression and the escalation of the conflict. On October 15, the Secretary-General of OAS, Luis Almagro responded to the communication of Artsakh president Arayik Harutyunyan, sent on October 8. In his response, Luis Almargo stressed that OAS will “continue to support all efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict, as well as toward the absolute respect for the principle of self-determination of Armenians in Artsakh.” He added, “[t]he principle of self-determination is crucial in this case because it means the best assurance of civic and political rights of your people as well as the only way to preserve their identity & their way of life.”
On October 5, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian invited a press conference on the steps of the L.A. City Hall in solidarity with Armenia an