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After the fierce fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire. But the ceasefire does not seem to last long: shortly after its entry into force, both sides accuse each other of new attacks.
In the Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is fought between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a ceasefire went into effect at noon (local time). Russia negotiated this on Saturday night after hours of negotiations.
However, within minutes of its entry into force, Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of violating the ceasefire. Armenian army spokeswoman Shushan Stepanjan spoke of the Azerbaijani attacks. The neighboring country ignored the agreement, to which the Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces would have to react with “appropriate measures”.
Azerbaijan, for its part, accused Armenia of initiating artillery fire in numerous places. All attacks have been avoided. There is no independent confirmation of the allegations.
Hundreds killed since the fighting broke out
According to the Moscow government, the ceasefire will be used to exchange prisoners and other detainees and to deliver the bodies of dead soldiers to their countries of origin. The fundamental peace negotiations will take place under the leadership of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The group is led by Russia, the United States and France, which are mediating in the conflict.
The situation in the region was tense before the ceasefire. According to information from Armenia, there have been numerous air strikes. Azerbaijan tried to gain an advantage before the ceasefire, said Armenian military spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan. The Baku government, however, accuses the Yerevan government of having bombed numerous settlements.
Hundreds of people have died since fighting broke out between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in late September. On the Armenian side alone, more than 400 soldiers are said to have died in Nagorno-Karabakh. So far, Azerbaijan has not provided any information on its own losses, but speaks of some 30 civilians killed. There are thousands of refugees in the troubled region. The fighting is the most intense since a ceasefire was reached in 1994.
Decades of conflict
The conflict between the two countries has raged for decades. The Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is populated predominantly by Armenians, was separated from Azerbaijan in a war in the early 1990s. Baku’s leaders accuse neighboring Armenia of occupying Azerbaijani territory in violation of international law.
