(ARMENIAN WEEKLY) WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement on April 2 condemning \u201cin the strongest terms\u201d the ceasefire violations along the Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh, NKR) Line of Contact. Kerry\u2019s statement avoids assigning blame, and instead appeals to \u201cthe sides\u201d to \u201cshow restraint\u201d and enter into \u201can immediate negotiation under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ANCA is sharply disappointed in Secretary Kerry\u2019s false parity in the face of open Azerbaijani aggression,\u201d said Armenian National Committee of America<\/a> (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian. \u201cThe Obama Administration recklessly set the stage for this escalation by so warmly welcoming [Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev to Washington. By failing to confront either his growing regional aggression or, for that matter, his worsening domestic repression, President [Barack] Obama effectively gave Aliyev the green light to continue his march toward war. Aliyev got the message and\u2014at the cost of dozens of lives\u2014acted on it within hours of leaving Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamparian urged the Obama administration to condemn Baku\u2019s recent act of aggression against Artsakh. \u201cPresident Obama must clearly and unequivocally condemn Azerbaijan\u2019s aggression, immediately secure the implementation of the Royce-Engel peace proposals, and support the inalienable right to self-determination of the independent Republic of Nagorno Karabagh,\u201d said Hamparian.<\/p>\n Azerbaijan launched a full-blown attack<\/a> on multiple positions of the Nagorno-Karabagh contact line overnight on April 1-2. The Azerbaijani army employed tanks, military helicopters, drones, and various caliber weapons in an assault targeting the Line of Contact on the southern, southeastern, and northeastern fronts. The NKR Defense Army retaliated, and, according to the NKR Defense Ministry Twitter page, brought down two helicopters and two drones, and destroyed three tanks. There are multiple casualties on both sides; Azerbaijan has reported 12 combatant casualties. Civilians have also been targeted. According to reports, 12-year-old Vaghinag Grigoryan was killed in the Marduni region, while two other children were wounded, from a Grad BM-21 multiple rocket launcher attack.<\/p>\n During an emergency meeting of Armenia\u2019s National Security Council held on the evening of April 2, Armenia\u2019s President Serge Sarkisian announced that as a result of the attacks, the Armenian side suffered 18 casualties, while 35 people were injured. Azerbaijan\u2019s losses\u2014including air force, personnel, and armored vehicles\u2014were \u201csignificant,\u201d he added, according to PanArmenian.<\/p>\n The ANCA has urged the public to take action by sending a webmail to President Obama, Congress, and the OSCE Karabagh negotiators urging them to take immediate action to stop Baku\u2019s latest attacks. To take action, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n Below is Secretary Kerry\u2019s statement in full.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n United States Condemns Ceasefire Violations Along Nagorno-Karabagh Line of Contact<\/p>\n The United States condemns in the strongest terms the large-scale ceasefire violations along the Nagorno-Karabagh Line of Contact, which have resulted in a number of reported casualties, including civilians. We extend our condolences to all affected families. We urge the sides to show restraint, avoid further escalation, and strictly adhere to the ceasefire. The unstable situation on the ground demonstrates why the sides must enter into an immediate negotiation under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.<\/p>\n We reiterate that there is no military solution to the conflict. As a co-chair country, the United States is firmly committed to working with the sides to reach a lasting and negotiated peace.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n (04\/04\/2016) ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian offers this update regarding the ANCA’s efforts in the three days since Azerbaijan began its widespread attacks on Nagorno Karabakh.
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