[ad_1]
Published in:
Russia, according to its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, when he received his Armenian counterpart, called for a “strict application of the armistice”, in light of the continued battles on Monday in Nagorno-Karabakh, which represents a violation of the agreement of humanitarian armistice that is supposed to be in effect from Saturday. In return, Turkey demanded the withdrawal of Armenian fighters from the disputed region, the Turkish defense minister said in a phone call with his Russian counterpart.
Clashes between Armenian separatists continued on Monday in Nagorno Karabakh And the Azerbaijani army, which represents a violation of the humanitarian armistice agreement, which is supposed to be in force from Saturday, and was reached under the supervision of Russia, which called for “strict” respect for the ceasefire.
Armenian Foreign Minister Zahrab Mnatsakyanian is visiting Moscow for a meeting with the mediator in the conflict, the “Minsk Group” of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States. His Azerbaijani counterpart participated in a similar meeting a week ago in Geneva.
In the context, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, upon receiving his Armenian counterpart, called for “strict respect on both sides” for the truce, which is supposed to be implemented at noon on Saturday.
Russian diplomatic movements after the failure of the truce in Karabakh
A mechanism to verify that the armistice is respected
Despite the continuation of the fighting, Lavrov considered that “efforts are in order”, and asked to establish a mechanism to verify the implementation of the ceasefire while the two sides exchange rape accusations.
For his part, the Armenian minister said that “consultations” are taking place on the matter, especially with the Red Cross. So far, the two sides have not exchanged prisoners or bodies under the armistice agreement.
However, despite the failure of almost three decades of mediation, the Russian, American and French diplomats in charge of the dossier want to persuade the Armenians and Azerbaijanis to return to the negotiations on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and end the negotiations. ongoing battles, which are the bloodiest since 1994.
Demonstrations in America in solidarity with the Armenians in Karabakh
Turkey calls for withdrawal of separatists
On Monday, the Turkish defense minister called for the withdrawal of the Armenian separatists from Nagorno-Karabakh in a phone call with the Russian defense minister.
In his interview with Sergey Shoygu, Turkish Minister Hulusi Akar highlighted the need for Armenia “which attacked civilian areas in violation of the ceasefire, stop its attacks and withdraw from the territories it occupies,” according to a statement issued by the Ministry. Turkish Defense.
“Azerbaijan cannot wait another 30 years for a solution,” Akar said, referring to the first ceasefire that was reached in 1994 and led to the freezing of the conflict after a war that left some 30,000 people dead.
Is the truce in Karabakh collapsing?
“It is war”
Artillery bombardments were heard Monday morning in the Azerbaijani city of Barda, not far from the front line. In the main city of Stepanakert in Karabakh, the sound of shelling was heard from the direction of the city of Hadrut.
The bombardment began in the morning and intensified at night.
Saghir Huseynov, from a refugee camp on the Azerbaijani side, said: “My brother is there fighting. I tell my children that it is war! The Armenians bombard us and that is why our brothers and our hearts fight with them.
After the European Union and Pope Francis on Sunday, Iran, the neighboring country of the two countries, expressed regret over the “violations of the ceasefire” and called on Monday “the parties to show restraint.”
A month ago, the worst fighting in nearly three decades broke out in Nagorno Karabakh, a separatist region in Azerbaijan controlled by Armenians since the two sides’ war in the 1990s, even if no country recognizes the region’s independence.
As has been the case since the resumption of fighting on September 27, the two sides share responsibility for hostilities, each declaring victories on the battlefield that are difficult to verify by an independent source.
In this regard, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accused the Armenian forces of breaching the ceasefire agreement. “The Armed Forces of Armenia, which did not comply with the humanitarian truce, repeatedly tried to attack the positions of the Azerbaijani army,” the ministry said. It added that it destroyed “a large number of enemy vehicles”, a T-72 tank and three Grad missile launchers.
On the other hand, a spokeswoman for the Armenian Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanyan, announced that Azerbaijan “is now heavily bombing the southern front.” The Armenian government media center said: “The enemy suffered heavy losses of men and military equipment,” but did not provide further details.
Hundreds of dead
The war of the 1990s killed almost 30,000 people and ended with a ceasefire in 1994 that did not provide a long-term solution to the conflict.
About 500 people, including more than 60 civilians, were killed in the month-long fighting, according to a tally based on the losses announced by both sides. Azerbaijan, which is supported by Turkey, confirmed that it would not permanently stop its operations except in the case of an Armenian withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh.
The international community fears that the conflict will internationalize with Turkish support for Baku, while Moscow has a military treaty with Yerevan. On the other hand, Ankara accuses of sending Syrian fighters loyal to it to fight in the ranks of the Azerbaijani army, which Baku denies.
France 24 / AFP
