Armenia – Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh agree on ceasefire – VIDEO

Defence Redefined

10/10/2020

Amid the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been summoned to Moscow for talks on a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners of war as well as the dead.

 

After 10 hours of talks in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed on a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, beginning on October 10.

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“A ceasefire was announced, from 12:00 [11:00 Cyprus time] on October 10, 2020, for humanitarian purposes in order to exchange prisoners of war and other prisoners as well as the dead according to the criteria of the International Committee of the Red Cross,” the statement said.

 

At the same time, according to the announcement, Baku and Yerevan agreed to start “substantive talks” on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, mediated by the OSCE Co-Chairs and the Minsk Group on the basis of the principles of the settlement, are launching substantive negotiations with a view to reaching a peaceful settlement as soon as possible,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov also said in a statement that the details of the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire would be agreed separately. In addition, the statement said that the two sides are committed to keeping the format of the talks on Karabakh unchanged.

It is noted that hostilities between Azeris and Armenians in the Karabakh region had broken out since September 27 and have continued to this day despite international calls for a ceasefire.

The clashes have displaced half of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) which amounts to about 70,000 people, officials said.

The capital of Artsakh, Stepanakert has suffered several days of shelling with residents sheltering in basements and much of the city left without power. 

 

However, the second largest city in Azerbaijan, Ganja, had been shelled in recent days by Armenian forces, with reports of civilian casualties on both sides. 

Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988-94, eventually declaring a ceasefire. However, they never reached a dispute settlement.

With information from: sputniknews.gr, euronews.gr, bbc.com, defenceredefined.com.cy

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