The conflict dates back to the dying days of the Soviet Union, when a dispute over the territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared into a war that killed 30,000 and created a million refugees.
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Nagorno-Karabakh’s military also said that Armenian anti-aircraft forces downed an Azeri helicopter, although the report was denied by Azerbaijan.
The EEAS press release said Mogherini had stressed in her calls yesterday “that all parties must take the necessary steps to create an environment conducive to successful negotiations, including avoiding actions and statements which could further complicate the already complex environment”.
Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said Wednesday the cease-fire was agreed in Moscow by top military officers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Elin Suleymanov, an Azeri official, accused Armenia of launching combat operations to divert attention from a visit by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to Washington, which has been described by independent sources as having been highly successful.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is set to travel to both Yerevan and Baku in the coming days.
The ambassador presented the position of the Armenian side, as voiced by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan at a Yerevan meeting with the ambassadors of OSCE member states, regarding a resolution of the confrontation.
Russian Federation will continue to support a peaceful solution to the current conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Kremlin said here Thursday.
While Armenia is solidly pro-Russian, Azerbaijan is taking a more independent diplomatic path with a tilt toward Europe, building a pipeline through Georgia and Turkey – bypassing Russia – to supply the region with energy.
Baku said 31 of its soldiers and four civilians died in the bloodshed, while Karabakh’s separatist authorities reported the deaths of 35 military and five civilians during the fierce clashes that erupted on Friday night.
A tank of the self-defense army of Nagorno-Karabakh moves on the road near the village of Mataghis on Wednesday.
The ministry late Wednesday also claimed Armenian forces had shelled the Azerbaijan exclave of Nakhchivan after the cease-fire was declared. Armenian forces also occupy several areas outside the Karabakh region.
The Turkish strongman has already been accused of fanning the flames by expressing his support for Azerbaijan and declaring that “Karabakh will one day return to its original owner”.
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“Beyond all doubt, we are interested – maybe more than the other foreign partners of these two countries – in this conflict being settled as soon as possible”, Lavrov said after meeting his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.
