September 13, 2023

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General Assembly
Security Council
Seventy-seventh session
Item 30 of the provisional agenda*
Prevention of armed conflict
Seventy-seventh year

Letter dated 13 September 2022 from the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to enclose herewith the letter from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, regarding large-scale military aggression by Azerbaijan, launched on 13 September 2022 in the direction of the eastern and south - eastern regions of Armenia (see annex).

The Azerbaijani armed forces have conducted targeted attacks on Armenian positions and civilian settlements, including Goris, Kapan, Vardenis, Jermuk and Sotk, through the use of heavy artillery and combat uncrewed aerial vehicles, which have resulted in numerous deaths and casualties.

A strong and unequivocal reaction of the international community to this premeditated and unprovoked aggression by Azerbaijan is crucial to prevent the further escalation of the security situation in the region.

I kindly ask that the present letter and its annex be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 30, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Mher Margaryan
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

Annex to the letter dated 13 September 2022 from the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

Yerevan, 13 September 2022

It is with the deepest concern that I write to inform you that, on 13 September 2022, at 12:05 a.m. local time, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked and unjustified large-scale military aggression in several directions in the south-eastern and eastern areas of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The Azerbaijani armed forces, using heavy artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems and combat uncrewed aerial vehicles, started intensive shelling of the densely populated towns of Goris, Jermuk, Vardenis, Kapan and Sotk and nearby villages.

This aggression has already resulted in several dozens of human losses and wounded persons among the civilian population of Armenia.

The Republic of Azerbaijan, in stark violation of international law, manifestly plans to occupy further areas of Armenia, adding to the occupation during its aggression of May 2021 and November 2021.

It is evident that the new aggression of Azerbaijan was pre-planned well in advance, with a lengthy propaganda campaign spreading unsubstantiated allegations of “military provocations” by Armenia, setting the stage for the attack, in repetition of the same tactics used to prepare for the 44-day war against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2020. These allegations are totally false and aim to deceive the international community.

The actions of Azerbaijan are in blatant violation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular Article 2.4 of the Charter, in violation of the Helsinki Final Act and in violation of international humanitarian law. Moreover, the military aggression of Azerbaijan goes against the letter and spirit of the trilateral statements signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation on 9 November 2020, 11 January 2021 and 26 November 2021. The statement of 26 November 2021 in particular stipulates that the sides agreed to “take steps to increase the level of stability and security on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border…”. It is obvious that Azerbaijan attempts to undermine the agreements reached in the trilateral statements.

The fact of the new aggression becomes even more blatant in the context of the 30 August meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in the presence of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, where an agreement was reached to organize a meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs within one month and the next session of the commissions on demarcation and border security in November.

I would also like to bring to your attention that, during the past year and a half, Azerbaijan has constantly been refusing the Armenian proposal to reciprocally withdraw troops from the borderline between Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to prevent any further escalation.

Armenia has continuously been alerting the international community about the deteriorating security situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the border of Armenia with Azerbaijan and warning about the real possibility of a renewed Azerbaijani offensive.

The treacherous attack of Azerbaijan shows that the passive, “both-sided” approach of the international community continues to embolden Azerbaijan to pursue its aggressive policy in the region. Azerbaijan has not been reprimanded for its continuous attacks against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh or for its attacks on and attempted creeping annexation of the sovereign territory of Armenia.

In the current global security environment, aggressive statements and actions by Azerbaijan, as well as repeatedly made claims against Armenia and its sovereign territory by Azerbaijan’s high-level officials, constitute a tangible threat to regional and international peace and security. They require a strong, clear and unambiguous signal stressing that any armed aggression or similar action by Azerbaijan that may further escalate the already fragile situation in the region, will be unacceptable and will not be tolerated any longer and that Azerbaijan will face consequences for the use of force and violation of the Charter of the United Nations.

Ever since the outbreak of the 44-day war of 2020, Armenia has been diligently involved in various negotiation processes with the aim of stabilizing the situation in the South Caucasus and laying the ground for peace, despite the grievances and losses of the devastating war in Nagorno-Karabakh. On numerous occasions, Armenia has publicly declared its readiness to work towards an era of peace for the region and to launch negotiations towards a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The aggression is the answer from Azerbaijan to the mediation efforts of the international community.

The attack takes place when the United States and the Russian Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are in the region, discussing ways to improve the security environment in the South Caucasus. The attack of Azerbaijan is blatant disrespect for these efforts.

I also take the opportunity to inform you that Armenia has applied to the Security Council under Articles 2.4 and 33.

Armenia counts on you, in your capacity as Secretary-General, and the United Nations as a whole to adequately react to the serious deterioration of the security situation in the South Caucasus region.

In the meantime, Armenia has the right to repel the use of force by any means, resorting to its inherent right to self-defence based on Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, in order to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and the security of its population.

(Signed) Ararat Mirzoyan

For more information: documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n22/591/78/pdf/n2259178.pdf