Moscow, September 13 (BNA) Today, Tuesday, Russia called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to cease hostilities and abide by the ceasefire agreement, expressing “grave concern” over renewed fighting between the two countries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it brokered a ceasefire at 0900 Moscow time (0600 GMT) this morning and expected the two sides to abide by the terms of the agreement.
“We express our deep concern about the sharp deterioration of the situation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border areas,” the foreign ministry said.
“We call on both sides to refrain from further escalation of the situation, to exercise restraint and to strictly adhere to the ceasefire,” he added.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said earlier on Tuesday in a speech to parliament that the intensity of the fighting has subsided, but it is still active in some areas. Azerbaijani media said the ceasefire collapsed within 15 minutes.
Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region in the South Caucasus, is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the local population of Armenian origin rejects Baku’s sovereignty over the region. It has been a source of violent tensions between the two countries for decades.
Russia said in its statement that the dispute should be resolved “exclusively by political and diplomatic means.”
The two sides blamed each other for the outbreak of hostilities during the night, which Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said left 49 Armenian soldiers dead.
It did not say Moscow, Yerevan’s ally through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military alliance, but it also maintains close friendly relations with Baku, which it considers responsible for the latest escalation.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Monday that the United States is deeply concerned about reports of attacks along the Armenian-Azerbaijan border and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
“As we have long made clear, there can be no military solution to the conflict,” Blinken said in a statement. We urge an immediate end to any military hostilities.”