VIDEO: Azerbaijan Occupies Approximately 41 Square Kilometers of Sovereign Territory of Armenia, Says Nikol Pashinyan

“The situation can only be evaluated in one way: this is direct aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.” This statement was made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at an emergency meeting of the Security Council.

“Today, around 1:00 PM, units of the Azerbaijani armed forces launched an attack in the direction of Armenia's eastern border. The Armed Forces of Armenia have taken measures to counter the adversary. Significant damage has been inflicted on the enemy’s live force, and at least 6 units of armored vehicles have been destroyed. There are casualties on our side, and accurate information will be provided later,” Pashinyan noted.

He added, “The situation can only be evaluated in one way: this is direct aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. As a result of aggressive actions that began on May 12 of this year, Azerbaijan has occupied approximately 41 square kilometers of sovereign territory of Armenia. In the context of the silence of our partners in the international community, Azerbaijan continues its aggressive actions.”

“My assessment is unequivocal: Azerbaijan and the forces encouraging it target our sovereignty and statehood, our independence. Yes, today we have had a difficult day, we are living through tough times, but today we have also shown that we are here, we exist, we are a state, we are a national state, and the language of coercion is unacceptable for us. We can negotiate, we can search for and find mutually acceptable solutions, we hold ourselves as a responsible member of the international community, but we will not allow ourselves to be spoken to in a language of arrogance. I call on the international community to adopt statements condemning Azerbaijan's aggression—specific statements. Discussions about border disputes are absurd and meaningless. There is no border dispute; there is aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia.”

“The borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan are clear based on legal agreements formed during the Soviet era. And if the issue were a border dispute, Azerbaijan should have long accepted our proposal to withdraw forces behind the recognized borders of Soviet Armenia and Azerbaijan, to deploy international observers along the border, and to begin demarcation and delimitation of borders. Azerbaijan, which does not accept that proposal, is an aggressor state and must unconditionally withdraw its forces from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Hopes of imposing one’s will on Armenia are vain.”

“The Government and people of the Republic of Armenia are resolute, and we will defend our sovereignty, territorial integrity, statehood, and independence by all possible means. At the same time, we continue to emphasize the necessity of a peaceful resolution to the existing situation, and all of our previous proposals are still on the table. We remain committed to the provisions of the trilateral statements of November 9 and January 11.”

“Returning to the border situation, I would like to say that the situation is relatively calm at the moment, but the overall situation remains extremely tense. We will continuously and accurately inform the citizens of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan stated.