|
Updated: September 29, 2020 7:33:32 pm
Clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in the Caucasus escalated on Monday, with new casualties reported in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. (Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan / dpa / picture-alliance)
Clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in the Caucasus escalated on Monday, with new casualties reported in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Azerbaijani forces launched a “massive offensive in the southern and northeastern sectors of the Karabakh front line,” Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on Monday night.
Some 200 soldiers have been injured, the Armenian Defense Ministry said, but many were only slightly injured and have returned to action.
Officials from the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region said 26 more soldiers were killed Monday night, bringing the rebels’ total military casualties to 84.
The total death toll has reached 95, with 11 civilians killed since the violence broke out on Sunday; nine in Azerbaijan and two on the Armenian side.
The worst violence in the region since 2016 has raised the possibility of a new war in an area that has been simmering for decades.
The UN Security Council will meet on the clashes
The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold emergency talks on the Karabakh conflict on Tuesday, according to diplomats cited by the AFP news agency.
The meeting, initiated at the request of France and Germany, will be held behind closed doors.
Early Monday, UN chief Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire while speaking with the leaders of the two countries.
Guterres stressed “the need for an immediate cessation of fighting and the unconditional resumption of meaningful negotiations without delay under the umbrella of the Minsk Group co-chairs,” said Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Mobilizing for war
Both countries have declared martial law. The Azerbaijani president declared a partial military mobilization in the country as part of a presidential decree on Monday morning. Armenia started a general mobilization on Sunday.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, announced on Twitter that he had spoken with the ministers of both countries and stressed the need to return to negotiations under the auspices of the Minsk Group, intermediaries made up of Russia, the United States and France. , adding that there “There is no military solution to the conflict.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on both sides to show restraint, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. Russia is an ally of Armenia.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry also urged restraint, saying they hoped the two countries would be able to resolve their differences through dialogue, the Reuters news agency reported.
Turkish participation claims
While many in the international community called for a reduction in tension, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded that Armenia end its “occupation” of Karabakh.
“The time has come to end the crisis in the region that began with the occupation of Nagorno Karabakh,” Erdogan said. “Now Azerbaijan must take matters into their own hands.”
Armenia has accused Turkey of meddling in the conflict. On Monday, the Armenian ambassador to Russia claimed that Turkey had sent fighters from northern Syria to Azerbaijan to support its ally after Erdogan pledged full support against Armenia.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry also accused Turkey of providing “direct presence on the ground,” in a statement reported by Reuters.
An aide to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilhan Aliyev, flatly rejected both claims, according to Reuters.
“Rumors that militants from Syria are supposedly being reassigned to Azerbaijan are another provocation from the Armenian side and complete nonsense,” the aide told Reuters.
EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano told AFP news agency that Brussels could not confirm Armenia’s claim, but cautioned against international involvement, saying “no outside interference in this conflict is acceptable.”
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For the latest world news, download the Indian Express app.
.
