Armenian parliament speaker calls for slapping sanctions on Azerbaijan
YEREVAN, September 25. /ARKA/. Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan called today for slapping sanctions on Azerbaijan.
"In the created situation, urgent effective and clear steps on the part of international partners are extremely important, including the application of sanctions against Azerbaijan," Simonyan said at a meeting with visiting U.S. Senator Gary Peters in Yerevan.
Simonyan welcomed the bipartisan congressional bill "On Assistance to Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression" submitted to the US Senate, expressing hope for its adoption, the press service of the National Assembly reported.
The Speaker also thanked the Senator for the support of the US representative at the UN Security Council session held on September 21 on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The interlocutors discussed the details and consequences of the large-scale attack of Azerbaijan on Karabakh on September 19. Peters spoke about his visits to Armenia's Vayots Dzor and Syunik marzes.
The Senator condemned Azerbaijan for creating humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh, expressing support for the Armenian people. He reaffirmed the United States' support for Armenia's territorial integrity.
On September 19 Azerbaijan launched an "anti-terror" operation in the region demanding that Karabakh's forces raise a white flag, disband their armed forces and dissolve their "illegal regime".
After 24-hour fierce fighting the ethnic Armenian authorities in Stepanakert gave in. Under the terms of the truce, outlined by Azerbaijan and the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the ground, Karabakh armed forces must commit to being completely disbanded as well as disarmed.
According to the Nagorno-Karabakh human rights defender’s office, more than 10 thousand people have been evacuated from the communities seized by Azerbaijanis, several thousand cannot find their missing relatives -women, children and elderly people.
As of 21:30 September 20, the number of casualties stood at 200, including children, the number of wounded at more than 400.
Azerbaijani officials and Karabakh’s Armenian representatives had two meetings for "re-integration" talks in the Azerbaijani towns of Yevlakh and Shushi. -0-
