Armenia and Artsakh Committed to Maintaining Ceasefire, Says Armenian Foreign Minister

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, has given an interview to Al Jazeera. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia reported this. The interview is as follows:

Question: Our correspondent Sinem reported to us that an Azerbaijani official claimed that it is obvious that the rockets fired toward Ganja came from Armenia, and the military officials of Nagorno-Karabakh denied the shelling of the city. Is Armenia violating the ceasefire?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: That is absolute falsehood coming from Baku. Armenia has not done that. It has even been denied by the Ministry of Defense.

Last night, we reached an important statement regarding the cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes and starting work in that direction. However, just a few hours later, early Saturday morning, Azerbaijan continued its military operations in all directions, mainly in the south. The most terrible thing is that they are systematically targeting and assaulting civilian settlements, towns and villages, and the civilian infrastructure of Artsakh. And all this continued from morning until noon. After 12 PM, when a ceasefire was supposed to be established, the Azerbaijani side continued these operations. This is a premeditated attack against everything we were trying to achieve through the ceasefire.

Question: I would like to clarify one question. If Armenia is not responsible for the attack on Ganja (and the one that took place on October 4), if it is not responsible for this latest attack, then who do you think did it?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: The armed forces of Artsakh are fully determined to continue their defense; you need to understand that. They are defending themselves against this systematic, targeted attack on the people of Artsakh.

Question: Now, to understand, let me interrupt you, because I genuinely want to clarify this: You are saying that it is not the Armenian forces that are firing these missiles; they are the forces of Artsakh, the defensive forces that are protecting Nagorno-Karabakh until the ceasefire comes into effect. Is that correct?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: The ceasefire has been violated by the Azerbaijani armed forces both before noon and particularly after that. They continued their military operations, and what is most dreadful is that they were firing towards villages and cities. You need to send your colleagues to Stepanakert and other towns to record how these cities and villages are being leveled to the ground, where people have been spending the second week in shelters, where a flow of refugees has begun, where they are doing what they did in the 1990s—ethnic cleansing, erasing people from the surface of the earth. That will not happen. The defensive forces of Artsakh will continue to defend themselves resolutely. And Armenia has been and remains their guarantor of security.

Question: Armenia has been resolute in seeking international support. It has been expecting assistance from other countries. Would it not have been easier if Armenia decided to cease any violations of the ceasefire and laid down arms, allowing for the implementation of humanitarian ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners and the return of bodies?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Do not blame Armenia or Artsakh. Artsakh is committed. We have negotiated this statement in good faith. The government of Artsakh, the president have absolutely and unconditionally supported the ceasefire. This is a very important function—to do the minimum, to showcase its humanitarian function. There are many serious humanitarian issues that need to be addressed immediately. The return of bodies, the return of prisoners must be carried out. The International Committee of the Red Cross is involved. The Armenian sides—Artsakh and Armenia—are fully interested in this. And we are committed to the ceasefire.

Question: Our correspondent Bernard Smith reported to us that no date has yet been announced for the commencement of humanitarian operations because it depended on the establishment of a ceasefire. Is there any way for Armenia to exert pressure on those who are firing rockets at Azerbaijan to stop it so that humanitarian actions can be realized?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: I return to the same question. Armenia is committed to its obligations; Artsakh is committed to its obligations. I will definitely reiterate that from early morning yesterday until late at night, Azerbaijan was shelling and targeting Stepanakert, several towns and villages. They have caused significant damage to the civilian population and infrastructure throughout the day of the ceasefire establishment. They, in fact, do not understand what a ceasefire is. A ceasefire does not give them the right to kill citizens, to strike civilian settlements. Here is what has been happening since noon. Let’s be very clear on this issue.

This brings up another very important question: the issue of verification mechanisms. We want a ceasefire; we want verification mechanisms on the ground that will highlight the criminals and showcase the party that is not committed to the ceasefire. We have been talking about this for a long time and I emphasize it once again.