2023-09-20 09:49:05
The Armenian separatists of Nagorno-Karabakh announced Wednesday September 20 that they will lay down their arms as part of a ceasefire, confirmed by the Azerbaijani authorities. Negotiations on the reintegration of this disputed territory with Armenia will be held on Thursday in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh. The fighting, which began Tuesday in Nagorno-Karabakh, left at least 32 dead, including seven civilians, and more than 200 injured, according to Armenia. For its part, Azerbaijan reported that two civilians had died in areas under its control. Follow our live stream.
The Vatican and the UN demand an end to the fighting. Pope Francis called on Wednesday to “silence the guns” and to “find peaceful solutions” in Nagorno-Karabakh. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for “de-escalation and [le] stricter compliance with the 2020 ceasefire and the principles of international humanitarian law”.
Baku sets its conditions. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Wednesday: “that anti-terrorist measures will be stopped if (Armenian separatists) lay down their arms and are disarmed”according to a presidential press release published following a telephone call with the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
A “large-scale attack”. Armenia denounced this offensive carried out for the purposes of “ethnic cleansing”, according to her. She assured that she had no troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, suggesting that the separatists were alone once morest Azerbaijani soldiers. Yerevan considers that it is up to Russia, guarantor of a ceasefire dating from 2020 with peace forces on the ground, to act to “stop Azerbaijani aggression”.
Moscow calls for calm. Russia called on Wednesday to “immediately cease the bloodshed, bring an end to hostilities and stop civilian casualties” In the region. She is calling for a return to the agreements negotiated under her aegis which resulted in a ceasefire in 2020, but not a peace agreement.
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