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Clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region continued this morning, and both sides developed Heavy artillery, As announced.
During new conflicts, at least other 15 Armenian soldiers were killed, the Armenian-backed Ministry of Defense said, raising the total death toll from 24 to 39.
A total of 32 Nagorno-Karabakh soldiers have been killed since Sunday morning, when clashes with the Azerbaijani armed forces broke out, and more than 100 have been injured.
further five Azeri civilians and two Armenian civilians from Nagorno-Karabakh have also been killed.
Azerbaijan has not announced its losses.
The Armenian Defense Ministry spoke about the clashes that took place through the night, while the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry noted that Armenian forces are shelling the city of Tartar.
The clashes between the two former Soviet republics, which clashed in the 1990s, were the last explosion a protracted conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a separatist region within the Azerbaijan, but it is run by them Armenians.
Karabakh President Arak Haroutiunian acknowledged that his forces had “lost ground”.
“We are tired of the Azerbaijani threats, we will fight to the death to solve the problem forever,” Artak Baghdasaryan, 36, told the AFP news agency in Yerevan, adding that he was waiting to enlist in the army.
Karabakh separatists say a woman and child of Armenian descent were killed, while Baku says a family of five from Azerbaijan was killed in a bombardment launched by Armenian separatists.
Azerbaijan has claimed a strategic position Montana in Karabakh helping to control transport communications between Yerevan and the enclave.
The confrontations caused a outbreak of diplomacy in order to reduce tensions in a decades-long conflict between predominantly Christian Armenia and predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan amid fears that the violence will spiral out of control.
“We are one step away from a full-scale war,” Olesya Vartanyan of the International Crisis Group told AFP.
“One of the main reasons for the current escalation is the lack of preventive international mediation between the parties for weeks,” he added.
The United States calls for an immediate ceasefire
The United States called on both sides Monday morning to immediately cease fire and return to talks, emphasizing that a solution to the conflict could not be military. “This violence must stop before more lives are wasted,” tweeted President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, reproducing the US embassy in Armenia.
President Donald trump He said Sunday that the United States will seek to end the violence.
“We are watching it very closely,” he said in a statement.
“We have a lot of good relationships in this area. We’ll see if we can stop it.”
The State Department condemned the violence in a statement, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and any rhetoric or other actions that could worsen the situation.
Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe biden They said hostilities could escalate into a broader conflict and urged the Trump administration to push for more observers along the ceasefire line and for Russia to “stop supplying arms to both sides in a cynical way.” .
Nagorno-Karabakh separated from Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapsed. 1991 after battles that left 30,000 dead and forced many more to flee their homes.
Although a ceasefire was reached in 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia often blame each other for attacks around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the separate border between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
International diplomacy
Armenia says Azerbaijani forces have attacked political targets, including the Nagorno-Karabakh capital, Stefanakert, and promised a “proportionate response”.
“We remain strong alongside our army to protect our homeland from the Azeri invasion,” Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pasinian wrote on Twitter.
Azerbaijan has denied a statement by the Armenian Defense Ministry that the Azerbaijani helicopters and tanks were destroyed and accused the Armenian forces of launching “deliberate and targeted” attacks along the front line.
“We are defending our territory, our purpose is correct!” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, addressing the nation, echoing Stalin’s words at the beginning of World War II in Russia. “Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” he said.
Both Armenia and Karabakh have declared martial law and military mobilization. Azerbaijan has imposed military sanctions and curfews in major cities.
Turkey said it had spoken with members of the Minsk Group, which mediates between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia, France and the United States are co-chairs.
Russian president Vladimir Putin He telephoned Pasyanan, but gave no details of the conversation, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Aliyev.
It remains to be seen whether and to what extent these events will put the already tense Russian-Turkish relations to the test.
Erdogan, who promised support for Azerbaijan’s traditional ally, called Armenia “the greatest threat to peace in the region” and called on “the whole world to support Azerbaijan in its fight against aggression and cruelty.”
For his part, Pasinyan reacted by accusing Turkey of “dangerous behavior” and urging the international community to ensure that Turkey does not get involved in the conflict.
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was “very concerned” and called on the parties to stop fighting and return to talks.
THE European Union, The Organization for security and cooperation in Europe Y Pope Francisco They also called on both parties to cease hostilities and return to negotiations.
At least 200 people were killed in the escalation of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in April 2016. At least 16 people died in clashes in July.
Azerbaijan has promised to retake the region by force if necessary, while Armenia has said it will do everything possible to defend the region.
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