Published 19:11 IST, October 14th 2020
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict: Russia urges both countries to honor ceasefire agreement
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been urged by Russia to adhere to the ceasefire agreement that was accepted by both countries on October 10.
The Russian Ministry on Wednesday, October 14 revealed that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu urged his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts to uphold the recently agreed upon Nagorno-Karabakh agreement. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh intensified on September 27 with casualties reported on both sides
Calls to honour ceasefire agreement
According to an ANI report, both Armenia and Azerbaijan on October 10 agreed to a ceasefire on the conflict zone so that each side and collect bodies as well as exchange prisoners. Despite the two countries having agreed to a ceasefire deal, violence in the disputed region gas continued and both countries have accused each other of violating the ceasefire first.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have clashed over the Nagorno-Karabakh since a separatist war there ended in 1994 but this is the biggest escalation of conflict between the two nations. The violence has already led to hundreds of casualties on both sides. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azerbaijan’s territory but the region is controlled by ethnic Armenians.
On October 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urged the international community to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh in order to avoid escalation of conflict in the region. The tensions between the two countries has already reached a point where 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 has been shocked by the escalation of the violence in the region and have called for an end to the violence and urged both countries to enter into dialogue with no pre-conditions. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also tweeted on October 13 calling both Armenia and Azerbaijan to implement a ceasefire and stop targetting civilian areas amid the ongoing conflict.
(With ANI inputs, Image AP)
Updated 19:10 IST, October 14th 2020