Armenia agrees to observe Russia-brokered humanitarian ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

On Friday, October 16, the Armenian defence ministry said that its forces were gearing up to observe the Russia-brokered humanitarian ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh and urged the international community, especially the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to convince Azerbaijani forces to heed to the same. 

READ: Armenia, Azerbaijan Tensions Rise Amid Claims Of New Attacks

Ceasefire violations

Earlier in the day, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was reported to have said that the country's armed forces were taking control of the new settlements and strategic heights in Nagorno-Karabakh every day. In less than a day of Russia brokered ceasefire agreement over the conflicted Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of violating the truce on October 10.

As per reports, the cease-fire agreement called for an end to the worst outbreak of the conflict in more than a quarter-century. Armenia and Azerbaijan called out each other for violating the truce that took effect at 08:00 GMT launching new attacks in the region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had claimed that there is evidence that Turkey was sending militants from Syria to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region due to Azerbaijan's inability to fight there independently. 

READ: Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Russia Urges Both Countries To Honor Ceasefire Agreement

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at loggerheads since July this year with both sides reporting casualties. However, on September 27 the border clashes turned into a major escalation. On October 5, Canada suspended its drone technology export to Turkey over suspicion that Ankara is supplying them to Azerbaijan, which in turn is being used in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Meanwhile, the United Nations and the international community has urged both Azerbaijan and Armenia to resolve the issue peacefully. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to take immediate steps to establish a ceasefire and start negotiations to prevent a major conflict from breaking out in the region. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region since 1988. In 1994, a Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement was signed between both the countries but numerous violations have occurred since then. 

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Inputs: ANI; Image: AP