YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has launched concrete actions on subjecting the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an address to the nation broadcast live on Tuesday.

Pashinyan said that around 13:00, September 19, Azerbaijan launched a bombardment attack against the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and then started an operation to breach the line of contact to capture positions and, according to certain information, also settlements.

“We certainly maintain contact with Nagorno-Karabakh, despite some problems with connection. But that’s the overall information, initially they launched strikes, including from multiple rocket launchers, against the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and then launched a ground operation from several directions against Nagorno-Karabakh. During this period Azerbaijan is certainly carrying out an information backing for its operations. The information that Azerbaijan had officially informed Russia on launching these operations was strange and perplexing for us. Of course, this is Azerbaijan’s information. But the fact is that we haven’t received any information from our partners in Russia about that operation,” Pashinyan said.

The current situation wasn’t unpredictable because the tension was visible, he added.

Pashinyan said that the government of Armenia immediately convened a Security Council meeting to discuss the situation.

“Thus, Azerbaijan has essentially launched the ground operation of subjecting the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing. As it is stated in the Foreign Ministry’s statement, we believe that the Russian peacekeeping forces should first of all take measures, and second of all we expect the UN Security Council to take measures as well,” PM Pashinyan said.

PM Pashinyan noted with regret that some circles have already attempted to link the process with Armenia’s any given decision. “But I want to repeat what I’ve said many times, Armenia hasn’t given anyone the mandate to carry out ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. And ensuring the rights and security of the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh has always been, and continues to be our objective, this is what has always been in our agenda,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister pointed out Azerbaijan’s odd statement that it would leave a humanitarian corridor open for the civilians to leave Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan said this statement of Azerbaijan proves that it is carrying out ethnic cleansing.

“If they claim that a so-called anti-terror operations is taking place, and that civilian infrastructures and civilians aren’t targeted, then a question arises, why are they announcing opening a humanitarian corridor for people to leave Nagorno-Karabakh? If what they’re saying were to be true, they would on the contrary have to call on citizens to take shelter and avoid areas where they could accidentally get hit. This logic developed by Azerbaijan explicitly shows the launch of a concrete operation on ethnic cleansing,” Pashinyan said.