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As international mediators head to Geneva, Armenia and Azerbaijan report more victims.
- France, the United States and Russia to hold talks in Geneva
- Turkey says Minsk Group should not participate in conflict mediation
- Azerbaijan says Ganja city bombed by Armenian forces, killing civilian
- Baku claims 30 Azeri civilians have died to date, but does not release military casualties
- Nagorno-Karabakh says death toll among military rises to 350
11:30 GMT – Historic Armenian Cathedral Damaged by Karabakh Bombing
Armenia said Azerbaijani forces had bombed a historic cathedral in the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Shusha, where AFP journalists saw that the church had been severely damaged.
A view shows the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral damaged by recent bombings during a military conflict in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh [Vahram Baghdasaryan/Reuters]
There was a huge hole in the ceiling of the Ghazanchetsots (Holy Savior) Cathedral, an iconic site of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Rubble was strewn across the floor, benches were toppled, and the interior was covered in dust from parts of the building’s limestone walls that had been hit. A section of its metal roof had collapsed and fallen to the ground outside.
10:10 GMT – Turkey FM comments on Nagorno-Karabakh
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that “the status quo must be changed” regarding the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, adding that Turkey respects the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
Turkey has publicly supported Azerbaijan in the conflict and said it was ready to provide military assistance, should Azerbaijan request it.
Cavusoglu said Turkey believes in a peaceful and negotiated solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. [Umit Bektas/Reuters]
Speaking at the annual Globsec forum in Bratislava, Cavusoglu also added that he was against any conflict in the Black Sea region, adding that Turkey is not flirting with Russia and supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
09:09 GMT: – Armenia dismisses the head of the National Security Service
Armenia fired Argishti Kyaramyan, head of its National Security Service, on Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported, citing a presidential decree.
07:45 GMT – France, the United States and Russia will meet in Nagorno-Karabakh
France, the United States and Russia will intensify their efforts to end fighting between Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces in the South Caucasus by holding talks in Geneva, as fears of a regional war grow.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that representatives from Russia, France and the United States would also meet in Moscow on Monday to seek ways to persuade the warring parties to negotiate a ceasefire. The three countries are co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which mediates in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Turkey has accused the group of neglecting the conflict and said it should not participate in mediation.
Le Drian responded to Turkey, reiterating accusations, denied by Ankara, that it is militarily involved and saying that this fueled the “internationalization” of the conflict.
07:30 GMT – New clashes between Azeris and ethnic Armenians
Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces fought new clashes in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Azerbaijan said that the city of Ganja was shelled by Armenian forces and that a civilian had been killed in the Goranboy region. He said other villages were attacked by ethnic Armenian forces.
❗️ Night and morning bombing of civilian settlements in Ganja, Barda, Aghjabadi, Aghdam, Tartar and Goranboy by #Armeniaoccupation forces. Casualties are reported. #Stop Armenian aggression#Stop the attack on civilians#KarabakhIsAzerbaijan
– MFA Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 (@AzerbaijanMFA) October 8, 2020
Azerbaijani authorities have reported 30 civilian deaths since fighting broke out on September 27 in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave that according to international law belongs to Azerbaijan but is populated and governed by ethnic Armenians.
Azerbaijan also says 143 civilians have been injured, but has not released information on their military casualties.
07:20 GMT – Nagorno-Karabakh says the death toll among its military rises to 350 since the start of the conflict
The Defense Ministry of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, led by ethnic Armenians, said it had recorded another 30 casualties among its troops, raising the military death toll to 350 since fighting broke out with Azeri forces on 27 of September.
The fighting has reached its worst level since the 1990s, when some 30,000 people died.
Good Morning. Shereena Qazi in Doha and Anealla Safdar in London will bring you the latest updates on the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis today, Thursday 8th October.
Here is a quick summary:
The fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh has continued for the second week (we are now on day 12 of the clashes) as Armenia and Azerbaijan fight for the separatist region.
So far, the two rivals are ignoring international calls for a ceasefire and have accused each other of causing civilian and military casualties since the September 27 clash.
Nearly 300 people have been reported dead in total, but the actual death toll is believed to be higher.
The key news on Thursday, at least so far, is that France, Russia and the United States will hold talks in Geneva to ease the escalation of the situation.
More on that later.
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