Epress.am News from Armenia
Former spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, Artsrun Hovhannisyan, who is the coordinator of the Crisis Information Center in Injevan at the moment, held a press briefing in the evening of July 14. He informed that Chinari, Aygepar, Nerqin Karmraghbyur, Paravaqar villages were targeted by the Azerbaijani armed forces, as well as Berd town and two of its factories, which were shelled. There are no civilian deaths, the damages are material: bombed houses, gas pipes etc.
Hovhannisyan assures that the bordering communities have not been evacuated, “the population is used to this situations”, “the people moved to shelters or their basements at an adequate speed.”
On July 15, the MoD will organize special “infotours” for journalists that have arrived to the border zone, he said. He also added that he will personally show “all the devastation, and why not, remnants of weapons employed by Azerbaijan.”
Hovhannisyan refrained from commenting on the termination of the work of factories and other businesses in Tavush and promised to answer on the next day.
Hovhannisyan also left the question about the total number of injured persons unanswered. He assured that none of them faces a life-threatening condition and again promised to release data on the next day.
Another question that the former spokesperson refrained from answering was the one on “advancing positions” by the Armenian military. Both Armenian and Azerbaijani media have been circulating news that Armenian military have taken hold of a height on the line of contact. Hovhannisyan neither confirmed nor denied the news. He said, that mapping and explanations might damage the work of the Armed Forces. “Armenia’s Armed Forces have always used chances in the past years to improve positions” and that is something that should not be discussed.
The representative of the Ministry of Defense, who by the way, heads the Military school, assured that the situation starting 18:00 on July 14 was calm, with few fires and no large weapon shootings, while the other parts of the border have remained calm.
The situation on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Tavush region escalated on July 12. The two sides blame each other for violating the ceasefire and escalating the war. Since July 13, civilian settlements have been under shelling on both sides. Armenia reports of Chinar, Aygepar, Nerqin Karmraghbyur, Paravaqar and Berd communities, while Azerbaijan reports of Dondar Gushchu, Alibeyli and Aghdam villages being under fire.
Armenia’s Ministry of Defense reports that Major Garush Hambardzumyan, Captian Sos Elbakyan, Junior Sergeants Smbat Gabrielyan and Grisha Matevosyan sustained deadly injuries. Azerbaijan reports of 11 military servicemen’s and one civilian’s death.