October 7, 2020 - 11:02 AMT
Armenia warns Iran of Azerbaijan's provocations on the border

Armenian Defense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan has urged Iranian authorities to take action against Azerbaijan's provocations along the Iran–Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) border.

"Having run out of sufficient capabilities to conduct effective offensive operations, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have been resorting to obvious provocations for the second day in a row," Hovhannisyan said in a Facebook post Wednesday, October 7 morning.

"In the south of the frontline, the Azerbaijani units are gathering in large groups along the Artsakh-Iranian border (along the Araks River), in fact taking refuge along that border and trying to advance that way. With this tactic, the Azerbaijani side is trying to provoke the Artsakh side to open fire or strike in the direction of Iran.

"To avoid all this, we believe that the Iranian side, which certainly sees everything, should prevent or force [Azerbaijan] to refrain from such accumulations."

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey, launched a large-scale offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. International and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages.

Donations can be made to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, which has launched a fundraising campaign to support Karabakh amid Azerbaijan's aggression.