Russia has claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan after clashes erupted on the border between the two countries this week, bringing a decades-old conflict to the brink of a flare-up.
“We call on the parties to refrain from further escalation of the situation, exercise restraint and strictly observe the ceasefire in accordance with the tripartite statements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on November 9, 2020, January 11, and November 26, 2021. “, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are in close contact with Baku and Yerevan. An appeal has been received from the Armenian leadership to help resolve the situation… We expect the agreement reached as a result of the Russian-brokered ceasefire from 9.00 am. Moscow time on September 13 will be fully implemented,” it added.
The statement follows a call between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vladimir Putin earlier on Tuesday. Local media in Azerbaijan also reported the ceasefire, but said it had already been violated.
On Tuesday morning, the Armenian Defense Ministry claimed that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan carried out artillery strikes on Armenian border towns. The strike included drones and heavy artillery fired in the direction of Goris, Sotk and Jermuk, according to the Armenian Defense Ministry.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry responded with a statement that acknowledged the strikes but said the strikes were “small-scale” and “aimed at ensuring the security of Azerbaijan’s borders.”
On Monday, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry accused Armenian forces of firing small arms in the direction of Novoivanovka settlement of Gadabay district and Husulu settlement of Lachin district near the border of the two countries. Armenia has denied the allegations.
In 2020, the two countries clashed over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, a landlocked region between Eastern Europe and Western Asia inhabited and controlled by Armenians, but located on Azerbaijani territory. Hostilities ended after separatists backed by Armenia agreed to relinquish control of territory in the restive region.
The unrest in the region is decades old and dates back to the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the region, with the support of Armenia, declared independence from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has long claimed to retake the territory, which is internationally recognized as Azerbaijan.
On Tuesday, Armenia called on Russia to implement a 1997 defense treaty that states the countries will defend each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in the event of an attack by a foreign country.
“It was decided to formally submit a request to the Russian Federation to implement the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the UN Security Council regarding the attack on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia,” it said. in a statement from the office of the Armenian Prime Minister.
The request came after a meeting with the Armenian Security Council and a call between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a statement from Pashinyan’s office.
Russia previously deployed peacekeepers to the region after brokering a ceasefire deal in early November 2020, ending a nearly two-month conflict that has killed at least 6,500 people, according to Reuters.
Pashinyan also spoke with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday, calling for an “adequate response” from the international community in response to what Pashinyan described as “Azerbaijan’s attack on the sovereign territory of Armenia,” he said. his office in a statement.
On Monday night, Blinken called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities”.
“The United States is deeply concerned about reports of attacks along the Armenia-Azerbaijani border, including reported strikes against settlements and civilian infrastructure inside Armenia,” Blinken said in a statement. “As we have long made clear, there can be no military solution to the conflict. We demand an immediate end to military hostilities.”
