Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the breaking news as of 03.08.22:

  • Azerbaijani armed forces grossly violated the ceasefire Wednesday, using grenade launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles and targeting the positions of the Karabakh Defense Army. As a result, two Armenian soldier were killed, fifteen others were injured.

The condition of one wounded is assessed as serious. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh said that in cooperation with Russian peacekeepers  is taking measures are being taken to stabilize the situation with the military contingent carrying out a peacekeeping mission in Artsakh. 

  • Nagorno-Karabakh's military on August 1 accused Azerbaijani forces of launching attacks on its positions in the territory’s north and northwest. One soldier has been injured as a result.

The Karabakh Defense Army said that its troops thwarted Azerbaijani "attempts to cross the line of contact."

The statement added that Russian peacekeeping forces in Karabakh received "detailed information" about the situation on the front line.

By the way, the Armenian side said last week that Azerbaijani forces opened fire at two villages in Nagorno-Karabakh and on Armenian Army positions on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. 

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry categorically denied any cease-fire violations in Karabakh.

However, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov on July 30 ordered his troops to be ready to "prevent provocation attempts by the enemy with decisive measures."

  • In the meantime, President of the Artsakh Republic,Arayik Harutyunyan signed a decree on Wednesday, according to which a partial military mobilization was declared in the country from August 3.
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh strongly condemns the new round of Azerbaijan's aggressive actions against Artsakh and qualifies this as another manifestation of Armenian-hatred, a gross attempt to violate peace and stability in the region, as well as to discredit the peacekeeping mission.

In a statement, the Ministry called on the international community to give a targeted assessment of the actions of Azerbaijan and take appropriate steps to curb the destructive policy of Baku.
“The Armenians of Artsakh are unshakable and determined to live freely and independently on their land and overcome all difficulties with dignity,” the statement read.

  • Meanwhile, amid the tense situation, Armenian high-ranking officials have been holding a number of talks with their international partners.

Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday spoke by phone with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The parties discussed the implementation of the agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh, the Kremlin press service reported.

Later, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a phone talk with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The sides discussed the current situation on the border and highlighted the importance of the release and return of Armenian prisoners of war. ​​

Arayik Harutyunyan, the Karabakh president, in turn, held Monday an emergency meeting with Defense Army commander Kamo Vardanyan and other security officials.

After the discussions, President Harutyunyan gave a number of urgent assignments.

Meanwhile, today, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan received on Wednesday the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Ararat Mirzoyan briefed Andrzej Kasprzyk on the recent security situation in the region.

In turn, EU Special Representative for the crisis in the South Caucasus and Georgia, Toivo Klaar, said he was concerned about reports of rising tensions in the context of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent days.

“Important to deescalate & avoid derailing an historic opportunity to turn page on decades of strife," he tweeted.

  • Ombudsman of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that ‘all this escalation is aimed at fulfilling the requirement to organize traffic between Artsakh and Armenia along a new route.’

“Before presenting any demand, it escalates the situation, makes impudent threats, and against this background forces the Armenian side to make concessions,” he added

In turn, Secretary of Armenian Security Council Armen Grigoryan highlights that Azerbaijan's demand to replace Artsakh's communication with Armenia via the Lachin corridor with another route is unlawful.

However, Grigoryan noted that a plan for the construction of a new transport route through the Lachin corridor, connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, with the further deployment of a Russian peacekeeping contingent to protect this route, will be developed in the next three years. Some work has been done in that direction, but there is no agreed-upon plan yet.

But, in any case, Armenia has not agreed to any plan, ‘so Azerbaijan's demand is illegitimate,' he added.

  • US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan Tuesday evening, marking a significant show of support for Taiwan despite China's threats of retaliation over the visit.

Pelosi's stop in Taipei is the first time that a US House speaker has visited Taiwan in 25 years. Her trip comes at a low point in US-China relations and despite warnings from the Biden administration against a stop in Taiwan. 

She is leading a congressional delegation on a tour in Asia this week, which includes stops in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan.

In a statement after landing, Pelosi and the congressional delegation that accompanied her said the visit "honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy."

Pelosi, a forthright critic of Beijing, has previously said it is important for the US to show support for Taiwan. 

China has lashed out at the visit. In a statement following Pelosi's arrival, China's Foreign Ministry said the trip would have a "severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations."

A spokesman for China's Ministry of Defense said the People's Liberation Army was "on high alert" and would launch "a series of targeted military operations to counteract the situation, resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely thwart the interference of external forces and 'Taiwan independence' secessionist schemes."