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The West and Moscow renewed calls to halt several days of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that has left more than 130 dead and threatens to draw in regional powers Turkey and Russia.
FILE: An image capture taken from a video available on the official website of the Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense on September 28, 2020 allegedly shows an Azeri artillery attack on the positions of Armenian separatists in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. . Image: AFP
STEPANAKERT – Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have stepped up their bombardments when French President Emmanuel Macron said jihadist militants had been deployed to Nagorno Karabakh in a new “serious” development.
The West and Moscow renewed calls to halt several days of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that has left more than 130 dead and threatens to draw in regional powers Turkey and Russia.
In a joint appeal on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Macron urged the two sides to return to negotiations aimed at resolving their long-standing territorial dispute.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev rejected the idea of holding talks, and the Armenian leader stated: “Nagorno-Karabakh cannot disarm, because it would lead to genocide.”
“The people who live there face an existential threat,” Pashinyan told the French newspaper. Le Figaro.
But Russia suggested it was making progress on diplomatic efforts with Turkey, a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in the conflict.
He said that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu had confirmed that they were ready for “close coordination” to stabilize the situation.
In Martuni, a small town in Karabakh about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the front line, residents took refuge in basements when heavy shelling from Azerbaijan killed four civilians and wounded 11.
Artak Aloyan, a 54-year-old construction worker who takes refuge in his basement with an elderly neighbor, vowed to stay despite the worst fighting the disputed region has seen in years.
“I built this house with my own hands. I will not go anywhere, that’s all,” he told AFP after a rocket attack. “I will die here in the last battle.”
‘CRUSHING STRIKE’
Rival Caucasus nations have been locked in a bitter stalemate over Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union when the ethnic Armenian region split from Azerbaijan.
In the fiercest clashes in years, 136 people have been confirmed dead in fighting that has lasted for five days.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said the fighting had escalated and its troops had repelled Azerbaijani attacks, shooting down helicopters and destroying drones and armored vehicles.
He said Azerbaijani forces had fired on two villages inside Armenia, near Karabakh, killing one civilian.
Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said 1,280 Azerbaijani soldiers had been killed and 2,700 wounded since Sunday, and both sides claimed to have caused heavy casualties.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said its forces had carried out “crushing artillery strikes” against Armenian troops. He denied claims that one of his helicopters was shot down and had crashed in Iran.
The two sides have accused each other of bombing civilian areas and ignored repeated calls by international leaders to stop the fighting.
Putin, Macron and Trump called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” and urged the warring parties to commit to the talks.
‘FOREIGN FIGHTERS’
Yerevan is part of a Moscow-led military alliance of ex-Soviet countries and has accused Turkey of sending mercenaries from northern Syria to reinforce Azerbaijani forces in the Karabakh conflict.
He also claimed earlier this week that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet flying in support of Baku forces had shot down an Armenian SU-25 fighter jet, but Ankara and Baku denied the claim.
Pashinyan reiterated claims that mercenaries had joined the conflict, saying that Azerbaijan and Turkey were fighting “with the help and participation of foreign terrorist fighters.”
“This terrorism also threatens the United States, Iran, Russia and France,” he added.
Macron echoed his calls, who said earlier that intelligence reports had established that 300 Syrian fighters from “jihadist groups” from the Syrian city of Aleppo had passed through Turkey en route to Azerbaijan.
The French president said that “a red line has been crossed, which is unacceptable” and demanded an explanation from Ankara.
Azerbaijan’s ally, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, has expressed his country’s full support for the Baku army and on Thursday called for Armenian troops to leave Karabakh.
CIVIL VICTIMS
Armenia has recorded the death of 104 soldiers and 13 civilians. Azerbaijan has reported no military casualties, but said 19 civilians were killed after the Armenian bombardment.
Karabakh’s declaration of independence from Azerbaijan triggered a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives, but it is not yet recognized as independent by any country, including Armenia.
Armenia and Karabakh declared martial law and military mobilization on Sunday, while Azerbaijan imposed a military regime and a curfew in the big cities.
Talks to resolve the conflict have largely stalled since the 1994 ceasefire agreement.
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