Armenia-Azerbaijan clash: NATO chief calls for ceasefire amid surging fatalities

As death toll from Azerbaijan-Armenia clash near 250, NATO Secretary-General, on October 5, called for a ceasefire in contested region of Nagor-Karabakh. Commenting on escalating hostilities between two erstwhile Soviet states, Jens Stoltenberg asserted that he was “deeply concerned” about situation. In dition, he called upon Turkey to use it’s “considerable” influence over Azerbaijan to calm situation.

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NATO states call for a ceasefire

France, Russia and US have alrey called for an immediate ceasefire between ethnic Armenian forces and Azerbaijan in contested Nagor-Karabakh region. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has opposed involvement of west in clash. dressing Turkish Parliament, Erdogan asserted that US, Russia and France h “neglected problem” for nearly 30 years and it was “unacceptable” that y are w involved in a search for a ceasefire. 

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current situation has prompted fear in many experts who opine that clash could possibly escalate into a regional war with Turkey backing Islamic Azerbaijan and NATO states supporting majorly Christian Armenia. In latest development,   Azerbaijan defence ministry claimed that that Armenian forces shelled multiple towns, including Ganja, Terter, Beylagan and Barda.

Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict 

two former Soviet states are in an armed stand-off for years over Nagor-Karabakh, a landlocked region in South Caucasus, and heavy clashes re-erupted on September 27, prompting fears of an all-out war. new fight is considered to be heaviest in deces. Hundreds of people have been killed in past week, including over 40 civilians. fight between two countries has raised international concern about stability in South Caucasus, where pipelines carry Azeri oil and gas to world markets. 

With fears of clashes expanding into an all-out, multi-front war, re is a possibility that fighting could also be stuck in regional powers Turkey and Russia. While Ankara is Azerbaijan’s strongest supporter, Moscow, on or hand, has a military base in Armenia. Earlier, Armenia even accused Turkey of supplying fighters to conflict, drawing m out of rrn-Syria.

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Im credits: AP