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"Since early morning, the Republic of Artsakh has been subjected to aggression of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Artsakh civilian population, capital Stepanakert and civilian infrastructure are under intense bombardment," PM Nikol Pashinyan said in a televised address to the nation.  In the words of the PM, casualties are being reported, including among the civilian population.

"Using military hardware, artillery and infantry, the adversary attacks the positions of the Artsakh Defense Army in all directions. The Defense Army runs heavy fighting and fulfills with honor its duty of protecting Artsakh, undertaking actions based on the developments," Pashinyan said.

"The authoritarian regime of Ilham Aliyev has again resorted to war activities. That is a war declared against the Armenian people. That is a war against our independence, freedom and decency. The Armenian people is ready for that war, as we have always known that Armenophobia, enmity and hatred, the Azerbaijani dictatorship had been nurturing own people for decades, could have no other outcome than a war. The Azerbaijani dictatorship has become the captive of own anti-Armenian policy and tries to justify the promises of own propaganda to solve the Karabakh conflict through military means," Pashinyan said.

The PM called for the attention of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries and the international community on the seriousness of the situation. "The flare-up of a large-scale war in the region of the South Caucasus, at the brink of which we are,  may have the most unpredictable consequences. It may spill over and go beyond the region, threatening the international security and stability," said the PM. 

The PM also called on the international community to exercises all leverage to keep Turkey away from any interference which would inevitably destabilize the situation in the region. 

To note, earlier, Prime Minister chaired a meeting of the National Security Council which discussed the large-scale military offensive unleashed by Azerbaijan  on the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border, issues related to organizing the counterattack of the Armed Forces and the further steps.
At the decision of the government, a martial law and military mobilization was declared in Armenia.