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Armenia and Azerbaijan have again agreed to a ceasefire in the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. It should take effect at night. It is the second attempt to stop fighting.
In the conflict in the South Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan are making a new attempt to cease fire. The “humanitarian ceasefire” should enter into force at midnight local time (10 pm CEST), as announced by the foreign ministries of both countries in the evening. According to the dpa news agency, the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities reported that the situation along the front line had calmed down.
A week ago, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire, mediated by Russia. However, this agreement was broken shortly after its entry into force. Both countries blamed each other for this.
France welcomed the renewed ceasefire, which had also followed French mediation. “This armistice must be unconditionally and strictly enforced by both parties,” he said from the Elysee Palace. France “will follow the situation very closely” and “will continue to work towards a permanent cessation of hostilities and the early start of credible talks.”
Fights broke out again earlier
Previously there had been new fights with deaths and injuries. Azerbaijan reported heavy attacks by Armenia on Saturday night in Ganja, the country’s second largest city. In the rocket fire, 13 people were killed and 50 wounded, said the Ministry of Civil Protection in the capital Baku.
Armenia, in turn, reported rocket attacks by Azerbaijan, including the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. At least three civilians were injured in Stepanakert. Information from the conflict region cannot be independently verified.
Moscow appeal
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged both parties to adhere to the agreed ceasefire. According to his Ministry in Moscow, he called his colleagues from Azerbaijan and Armenia, Jeyhun Bayramov and Sohrab Mnazakanjan. Lavrov recalled that the ceasefire also served humanitarian reasons. In addition, both sides had declared their readiness for “substantial negotiations” with the aim of reaching a peace agreement as quickly as possible, he said.
The EU also again called on both parties to respect the ceasefire. “All attacks on civilians and civilian facilities must come to an end,” said a spokesman for the EU Foreign Affairs Representative, Josep Borrell. The European Union regrets the bombing of the Azerbaijani city of Ganja. The Foreign Ministry in Berlin called on both countries to “return immediately to the path of a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict.” Furthermore, people affected by the conflict should now be helped.
Conflict for decades
The two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting for decades over the mountainous region with its approximately 145,000 inhabitants. Armenia controls Nagorno-Karabakh, but under international law it belongs to Islamic Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan lost control of the area in a war that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union some 30 years ago. Since 1994 there has been a fragile ceasefire.
