[ad_1]
Image posted, EPA
The conflict dates back to the 1990s
Meanwhile, there is no indication that the fighting may abate.
This is the first time that the two sides have clashed directly around the negotiating table since the conflict broke out in the Nagorno-Karabakh region almost two weeks ago.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had urged the two sides to cease hostilities and allow the collection of the bodies of the dead in combat zones and the exchange of prisoners of war.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Azerbaijani and Armenian officials will meet in Moscow after an appeal by President Putin late Thursday.
And the Agence France-Presse news agency quoted Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, as saying that “Baku and Wirvan have confirmed their agreement to participate in the negotiations.”
Armenian authorities in the Nagorno Karabakh region say more than 375 of its soldiers died in the fighting, while Azerbaijan has not announced the death toll among its forces.
And Azerbaijani and Armenian military officials said fierce battles took place between the two sides on Thursday night and Friday morning, killing more civilians.
War broke out late last month between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijani army forces over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and returning to Azerbaijan. This region declared its independence unilaterally in the nineties of the last century.
So far, the two sides have rejected calls for an end to the fighting, which has so far claimed more than 400 lives, including many civilians. Azerbaijan says it is determined to control the mainly Armenian region.
On Thursday night, the Kremlin said that President Putin had requested, in a series of phone calls, his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of both sides to stop fighting in Nagorno Karabakh “to allow the collection of bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war. ” .
Putin’s announcement of the Moscow negotiations came shortly after international mediators from France, Russia and the United States launched an attempt to resolve the crisis in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
These countries form the “Minsk Group” that has been trying to find a solution to the conflict since the 1990s, but has failed in its efforts so far.
However, mediation attempts are still ongoing in Geneva, despite Armenia’s refusal to participate in them. The Armenians had refused to participate in these efforts as long as the fighting continued.
The two parties to the conflict have accused each other of attacking civilian areas since the outbreak of the current fighting, which has displaced thousands of people in the region.
The Russian and French presidents were among world leaders who condemned what is said to be the involvement of Syrian and Libyan fighters loyal to Turkey in the fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, while Iran this week warned that foreign “terrorists” were participating in the fighting.
