At yesterday’s special session, in Vienna, of the OSCE Permanent Council regarding the military escalations along the Karabakh Line of Contact, Ambassador Arman Kirakosyan, who heads Armenian’s delegation at the OSCE, said that widespread military operations were of no benefit to any of the region’s peoples.

Kirakosyan said that the frequent threats made by Baku to use force had become a reality and that positions of the Artsakh Defense Army, along with civilian areas, were the targets of heavy Azerbaijani, tank, air and artillery fire.

Kirakosyan said that Azerbaijan’s attempt to deal a decisive blow and win a military victory had failed, resulting in the death of hundreds of Azerbaijani soldiers.

The ambassador said that Artsakh Defense Army losses were 20 dead, 26 missing in action, and 72 wounded.

He also mentioned the death of 12-year-old Vaghinak Grigoryan and the murder of three elderly members of the Khalapyan family.

Kirakosyan said that by unleashing this armed aggression, Baku sought to direct the focus of the international community away from human rights violations in Azerbaijan, to squash domestic dissatisfaction regarding socio-economic issues due to oil price drops and inflation, and to hinder a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue.

Kirakosyan stressed that the violations committed by the Azerbaijani military during the past few days clearly shows what awaits the population of Artsakh if Azerbaijani ever achieves a military victory.

The ambassador presented the position of the Armenian side, as voiced by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan at a Yerevan meeting with the ambassadors of OSCE member states, regarding a resolution of the confrontation.

The first point is that the 1994 ceasefire must be maintained, that all military operations cease, and that Armenian and Azerbaijani military units must return to their positions and bases as of April 1, 2016.

Second, a mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations must immediately be created and that the powers of the personal representative of the chairperson-in-office on the conflict must be greatly expanded, including an increase in field assistant.

Third, given that the government of Karabakh is a signatory to the 1994 ceasefire, all warring sides must restore direct contacts with Karabakh.