Armenian PM appeals to world leaders to recognise Nagorno-Karabakh's independence

The Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged the international community to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region of Nagorno-Karabakh is currently recognized by the international community as a part of Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians.  While the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan stretches back decades, violence recently broke out between the two countries and they have both accused each other of being behind the hostilities.

Armenia wishes an end to hostilities

The Armenian Prime Minister stated that the international community must act swiftly in order to avoid escalation of conflict in the region and in that regard they should recognise Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence. The tensions between the two countries have reached the point that Azerbaijan has declared a state of emergency near the border area while Armenia has declared a nationwide emergency and mobilized its male population.

The international community have been shocked by the prevailing escalation of violence, leaders of Russia, the United States and France have also appealed for both sides to end the conflict and to enter into dialogue with no pre-conditions.

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Armenia detains foreign citizens and urges media not to cover conflict

Amid the heightened tensions with Azerbaijan, Armenia has announced that they apprehended an unknown number of foreign citizens and have charged them on the suspicion of espionage. According to a statement on the security service website, the detained foreign citizens are also suspected of trying to incite Armenian citizens to carry out espionage.

In addition, Armenia has also appealed to the media not to cover the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict live, as their coverage of the events could seriously jeopardize military operations and civilian lives. In a statement, the Armenian defence ministry said, “Despite our numerous calls, there are still cases of media representatives covering events live both on the contact line, areas where the hostilities are taking place, and in the settlements of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh], including its capital -- Stepanakert”.

(With ANI inputs)

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Read: Armenia Detains Foreign Citizens On Suspicion Of Espionage Amid Tensions With Azerbaijan