[ad_1]
Moscow’s announcement, which renewed its call for a ceasefire, came after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to initiate “urgent consultations” on possible aid to his country.
Pashinian’s request came after the failure of new talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the establishment of a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russia has a military base in Giumri, the second largest city in Armenia. It is also linked to Yerevan by a collective security treaty, but has argued in the past that it does not refer to Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Russia will provide all necessary assistance to Yerevan if the clashes take place directly on Armenian territory,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
In a letter to Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinian said on Saturday morning that the fighting was closing in on his country’s borders and again accused Turkey of supporting Azerbaijan.
Invoking the good relations between Armenia and Russia, the Yerevan leader asked for help.
Climbing risk
Carey Cavanaugh, a former US ambassador to the region, believes that direct military intervention in the conflict is not in Moscow’s best interest.
“An intervention by Russian or Turkish troops at this stage would lead to a significant escalation of the conflict,” he told AFP.
For his part, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Twitter on Saturday that he “does not see” the need for intervention by third countries and does not want to.
“It is a fight between us and Armenia. No one should interfere,” said the Azerbaijani president.
In this conflict, Baku is suspected of receiving support from Turkey, through Syrian military specialists and mercenaries, accusations strongly rejected by the two countries.
Fighting continued in Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday after a failed meeting the previous day in Geneva between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.
The secessionist authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have reported bombings in their capital, Stepanakert, as well as in Martuni, Martakert and Shusha, which killed a civilian and injured civilians.
On the other hand, the Azerbaijani army on Saturday accused Yerevan of firing artillery fire at the city of Terter and three other villages.
Nagorno-Karabakh separated from Azerbaijan in the 1990s, at the end of a war that left 30,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Since the resumption of hostilities on 27 September, Azerbaijani forces have regained important territories, mainly in the south of Nagorno-Karabakh. Now he is trying to conquer a vital axis between the Armenian territory and Stepanakert.
According to partial reports, these clashes, the worst since the early 1990s, have so far resulted in 1,250 deaths. Three armistices were agreed and all three were violated by both sides.
If you like this article, we hope you will join the community of readers on our Facebook page, by liking it below:
[ad_2]