On December 11, around 8:40p.m, the special forces of the Azerbaijani armed forces launched an attack on the Artsakh-Azerbaijani line of contact in the area of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages of the Hadrut region of Artsakh, taking advantage of the fact that peacekeeping forces were not deployed in that area of the Republic of Artsakh. Six servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army were wounded in the result of the offensive. The Azerbaijani forces continued their provocative actions also today in the direction of Mets Shen and Hin Shen villages. 

While strongly condemning this gross violation of the commitments by the top military-political leadership of Azerbaijan under the trilateral statement on the cessation of hostilities and the deployment of Russian peacekeepers, we emphasize that above mentioned actions are aimed at devaluating the presence of the peacekeepers of the Russian Federation in the conflict zone. 

The Azerbaijani side, while adhering to its traditional behaviour, undertook this provocation amid the visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to the region. In fact, this challenge to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries is a continuation of the warmongering and unacceptable statements of the leaders of Turkey and Azerbaijan addressed to the Armenian people during the recent parade in Baku. Such behaviour once again demonstrates the Turkish-Azerbaijani expansionist policy, which continues to undermine regional security and stability and threatens to expand into neighboring regions. 

Those actions of the official Baku further underline the imperative to eliminate the consequences of the recent Azerbaijani aggression, including the de-occupation of the territories of Artsakh and the return of the Armenians of Artsakh to their places of residences. 

Taking into account the fact of impunity for Azerbaijan’s violations of its international obligations through the use of force and consequences of such actions, we call on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to unequivocally and clearly address Azerbaijan's actions aimed at violating the ceasefire regime, pursuing its policy of ethnic cleansing and occupying the Armenian settlements.