STEPANAKERT—An Armenian Revolutionary Federation delegation met with Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments on the Azerbaijani attacks on Artsakh.

The delegation included ARF Bureau representative Hrant Markarian, Bureau member and political affairs representative Armen Rustamyan, and parliamentary faction secretary Aghvan Vardanyan. The deputy chairman of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic National Assembly Vahram Balayan and other officials also attended the meeting.

According to a statement released by President Sahakyan’s office, the meeting addressed a range of domestic and foreign policy questions, while special attention was paid to the large-scale combat operations launched by Azerbaijan from April 1-4 and their consequences.

President Sahakyan noted that the entire Armenian nation demonstrated exemplary unity and cohesion during the heightened conflict, and highlighted the role of political forces—namely the ARF—in this process.

The Artsakh Defense Army and the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan reportedly agreed at around noon on April 5 to halt the fighting along the LoC, in light of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group negotiations.

Chief of the Operations Division of the Karabakh Defense Army Viktor Arustamyan told reporters on April 5 in Stepanakert that during the 4 days of fighting, the Armenian side suffered 29 casualties and 101 wounded, reported Civilnet. He also noted that the NKR forces lost 14 tanks, while Azerbaijan lost 24.

On April 2, the ARF’s Supreme Body in Armenia issued a statement condemning the attack, and declaring that the ARF stands beside the governments of the Artsakh and Armenia in their efforts to safeguard the security of both republics and their populations. The ARF also called on all Armenian organizations and the public to respond to Azerbaijan’s aggression in a unified manner to impose peace on the aggressor.

The ARF Eastern Region and Western Region Central Committees also issued a joint statement on Baku’s recent escalation of violence along the LoC, pledging solidarity and support to the people of Artsakh and the state structures of Artsakh and Armenia.

On the Western Region, the leadership of the three national political parties issued an announcement declaring their solidarity with the people of Artsakh and calling for the international recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.