Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Armenian PM says no diplomatic settlement with Azerbaijan

Amid calls for a ceasefire, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian urged citizens to sign up as military volunteers, saying Azerbaijan's aggression has left no room for diplomacy. Pashinian’s statement came after reports emerged that Washington will host the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on October 23 to intensify the efforts to end the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a live video address on Facebook, the Armenian PM called on citizens to take up arms to defend the country, urging mayors to organise volunteer units. Notwithstanding the proposals of diplomatic settlement, he said that the uncompromising gesture of Azerbaijan has forced Armenia to ditch the idea of such settlement.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as a part of Azerbaijan but it remains disputed because the region is controlled by ethnic Armenians. The two former Soviet states are in an armed stand-off for years over the Nagorno-Karabakh, a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, and heavy clashes re-erupted on September 27, prompting fears of an all-out war.

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Efforts of OSCE Minsk Group

A wider conflict could severely impact the international markets because Nagorno-Karabakh serves as a corridor for oil and gas pipelines from the Caspian Sea to world markets. Russia has been driving the mediation efforts with the help of OSCE Minsk Group and Washington now seems to have stepped up its involvement in pacifying the situation which has claimed hundreds of lives since the fight broke out late last month. 

Azerbaijan said that its foreign minister would also meet envoys of the OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group had earlier released a statement, condemning the continued violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. They expressed alarm at reports of increasing civilian casualties and said that targeting or threatening civilians is “never acceptable under any circumstances.” 

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