Border village of Koti after Azerbaijani shelling.
Tensions and gunfire along the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border in the Tavush marz continued at a high pitch on the night of September 3 and early morning hours of September 4.
CivilNet spoke with the Primate of the Tavush Diocese Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who said that until 12:45 a.m. on September 4, the entire length of the state border had come under intensive Azerbaijani gunfire.
He said that three men from the border village of Baravakar were injured when a bomb exploded in the village of Vazashen, where they happened to be. The men were transferred to a hospital in Ijevan, the regional center of the Tavush marz. One of the injured men was treated and released and the other two are continuing to receive medical treatment. According to the Archbishop, one of the injured men was expected to undergo surgery today.
Garig Lalayan, a contract soldier stationed at a military post near the border village of Nerkin Karmiraghpyur was also injured during the crossfire. Lalayan has been transferred to a hospital in Yerevan to receive further medical attention for his injuries.
During the intense gunfire and shelling, many residents hid in makeshift bunkers or shelters, but all returned to their homes once the firing ceased.
Village of Sevkar. Photo credit: Arayik Harutyunyan
According to Galstanyan, all schools in the region, with the exception of the school in the village of Movses have resumed classes. When CivilNet asked what the reason was, Archbishop Galstanyan said the children were exhausted from the previous night’s tense situation, therefore the school administration took the decision to dismiss classes for the day.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry Spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan told www.azatutyun.am this morning that the gunfire from Azerbaijan military posts along the state border were intense but not as bad as the night before.
“The adversary once again kept the entire border of Tavush under gunfire; a number of villages sustained damage. Three people from the village of Vazashen were injured…their injuries are not life threatening. A contract soldier was also injured, his injuries are not life threatening and he is undergoing treatment,” Hovhannisyan said adding that Azerbaijani fire ceased after the Armenian military responded.
Asked whether this spate of clashes can threaten a restart of the war, Hovhannisyan said that from a military point of view, “this is war.” Regarding a threat of large scale military operations, the spokesperson said “it might or might not begin at any moment.” Hovhannisyan did add, however, that Armenia’s Defense Ministry does not believe that the conditions are ripe for a large-scale military action.
Ambassador James Warlick, one of the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with finding a peaceful solution to the Karabakh conflict tweeted late last night: “Both Armenia and Azerbaijan report the use of mortars and heavy weapons. If true, it is a dangerous escalation. We must work for NKpeace.”
Both #Armenia and #Azerbaijan report the use of mortars and heavy weapons. If true, it is a dangerous escalation. We must work for #NKpeace.
— James Warlick (@AmbJamesWarlick) September 3, 2015
Starting August 31, tensions along the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border escalated.
On August 31st at around midnight and then in the early morning hours of September 1, Azerbaijani forces opened fire on the border villages of Baghanis and Voskevan, forcing the first day of school to be cut short.
The mayor of Baghanis, Narek Sahakyan told CivilNet at the time that although the night passed in relative calm, at around 10-11:00 a.m. on September 1, Azerbaijani forces began firing in the direction of the village just as festivities for the first day of school were underway. The children were given their homework and quickly dismissed, according to Sahakyan. Later in the afternoon, gunfire erupted yet again.
On the evening of September 1, two Armenian contract soldiers were injured as a result of an Azerbaijani offensive in the district of Berd.
On the evening of September 2 and the early morning hours of September 3, almost 20 border villages in Armenia came under heavy attack by Azerbaijani military posts. Two residents of the village of Koti were injured and transported to hospital, their injuries were not life threatening. A contract soldier, 40-year-old Hayk Tevoyan was killed on the night of September 3 during the clashes.
On September 7, President Serzh Sargsyan will be leaving for Moscow for a working visit; he is expected to meet with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin.
