The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Artsakh Republic has issued a statement:

“On December 11, 2020, the Azerbaijani armed forces undertook offensive actions in the direction of the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd of the Hadrut region, as a result of which six military personnel of the Defence Army received gunshot wounds of varying severity. The provocative actions of the Azerbaijani side continued on December 13 in the direction of the villages of Mets Shen and Hin Shen of the Shushi region.

The Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in the Republic of Artsakh were immediately informed about the facts of violation of the ceasefire by the Azerbaijani side. As a result of the intervention of the Russian peacekeepers, hostilities were stopped, and additional observation posts of the peacekeeping forces were set up to monitor the situation around the clock and control the observance of the ceasefire.

The provocative actions of the Azerbaijani side on December 11-13 were a flagrant violation of the trilateral statement on ceasefire of November 9, 2020. Azerbaijan’s failure to comply with its international obligations, its extremely dismissive attitude towards the agreed format of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship, the artificial delay in the resumption of the political process on the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and Baku’s reliance on military force continue to be the main source of threat in the region and an obstacle to the establishment of long-term and sustainable peace.

These actions of Azerbaijan, which are evidently a continuation of the aggressive policy of Baku and an attempt to expand the occupation zone in Artsakh, as well as the seizure of a significant part of Artsakh and ethnic cleansing in general, should receive the strongest condemnation by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the international community as a whole.

The Republic of Artsakh, for its part, will continue to make consistent efforts aimed at the international recognition of Artsakh in order to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, to ensure the de-occupation of the republic’s territory and the return of the population to the places of their former residence.”