PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN CONVENED A MEETING OF NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

02 / 04 / 2016

President of the Republic of Armenia and National Security Council Serzh Sargsyan convened a meeting of National Security Council this evening. Within the frames of the agenda it was discussed gross violation of the 1994 ceasefire agreement by Azerbaijan Republic, the current situation resulted by the large-scale attack against the Nagoro-Karanakh Republic, and other issues.

At the beginning of the meeting Armenian President touched upon the current situation.
Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan briefed on the practical steps, taken in response to provocation by the enemy on April 1 and in the night of April 2, to prevent the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan. Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces Yuri Khachaturov and Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan also briefed the Council.
Armenia President made a number of instructions:
"Dear colleges,
As you know, this night, at about 3 oclock, the armed forces of Azerbaijan made provocative actions along the entire line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh. These are the largest by-scale operations after the establishment of ceasefire in 1994, which Azerbaijani armed forces attempted and still attempt to carry out. Due to timely and professional actions of Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army it was possible to take the situation under control and not only take the situation under control, but also inflict considerable losses on the enemy. Meanwhile, during the mentioned period, the opponent used air forces; all types of artillery and armored vehicles. The losses of the enemy’s air forces as well as infantry and armored vehicles are considerable. We also have losses. At the moment, we have 18 victims and almost 35 wounded.
I was regularly briefed on the situation on my way back from the United States and I believe that decisions taken were proper, necessary and righteous. You know that I had visited the United States to attend the Nuclear Security Summit and I had meetings with the Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Kerry in the sidelines of the Summit. I urged them to censure Azerbaijan not to violate the ceasefire rules, and as you saw, hours after those meetings such incidents occurred that it is not known yet what kind of developments will take place. At this moment provocations continue, there are some tensions in the north and south, but, as I already mentioned, Nagorno Karabakh Armed Forces keep control of the situation.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia act in accordance with the plan elaborated in advance, and a number of ministries must turn to an enhanced working schedule and service as defined by our plans without any tumult or any tension. Measures have been taken to ensure the security of bordering citizens. I believe those measures are sufficient, but I am convinced and I suggest discussing how to make a step forward. I suppose it is necessary for the Foreign Ministry to cooperate with the Foreign Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh and work in the direction of signing a treaty of military cooperation with Nagorno Karabakh. It is necessary to have the text of the treaty for discussions and then submit to the National Assembly for ratification. The Republic of Armenia has fully carried out its responsibility in terms of ensuring the security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh and we have the legal right to that as we are a party of the ceasefire agreement signed in 1994.
In addition of the Armed Forces, our other agencies also do their job well. We have set contact with our international partners. Anyway, as I have reiterated for many times, we ourselves must solve our problems, without underestimating anyone’s assistance. Now, the Defense Minister and Head of General Staff will report on the issue from military standpoint and the Foreign Minister about diplomatic efforts, afterwards we will take adequate decisions”, President Serzh Sargsyan said.