At around 1 p.m., the armed forces of Azerbaijan started shelling the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and after some time they started an operation to break the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and take control of positions and, according to some reports, of settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a live streaming on his Facebook page.
“Of course, we are in contact with Nagorno-Karabakh, but there are certain communication problems. The general information is that from the beginning, the Nagorno-Karabakh region was attacked with various weapons, including jet artillery, and then a ground operation was launched against Nagorno-Karabakh from several directions.
During this period, Azerbaijan also carries out informational support for operations, and the information that Azerbaijan officially informed Russia about the start of these operations was also puzzling to us. We have not received any information from our partners.
Of course, it cannot be said that this was unforeseen. We could see the tension of the situation and today in the statement of the Foreign Ministry, it was emphasized that the meeting held yesterday at the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan with diplomatic representatives accredited in Azerbaijan was a diplomatic preparation for military operations against Nagorno-Karabakh. And it was justified,” he said.
Nikol Pashinyan added that they immediately convened an extended session of the Security Council with the participation of the President of the Republic of Armenia and the Speaker of the National Assembly and discussed the situation.
Earlier NEWS.am reported that Azerbaijan՛s Armed Forces started to use artillery along the entire line of contact in Nagorno Karabakh as of 1 p.m. on September 19, attempting to penetrate into the depth of the defense line of the Defense Forces of Nagorno Karabakh.
Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh, as well as other settlements are under heavy shelling now. The Human Rights Defender of Nagorno Karabakh, Gegham Stepanyan, reported that there are multiple casualties and injuries among civilians, including children.