Armenia- Azerbaijan clash: Iran working on peace plan amid soaring death toll

As the clash between Armenia and Azerbaijan intensify, Iran has said that it was working on a peace plan to resolve the same. The decade long conflict between the two neighbouring nations over the contested area of Nagorno-Karabakh was reignited last month and over 130 people have already been killed. Experts now fear that the clash could lead to a regional war involving forces like Russia and Turkey. 

Iran's Peace Plan 

As per Saeed Khatibzadeh, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the country has made a “peace plan” to resolve the decades-old conflict, Associated Press reported. For the purpose, the country was already in talks with the related parties.

“Iran has prepared a plan with a specific framework containing details after consultations with both sides of the dispute, Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as regional states and neighbours, and will pursue this plan,” Khatibzadeh told press reporters on October 5.

Read:  Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Azerbaijan Says No End To Fight Until Armenia Withdraws Troops

Read: Armenia Says Azerbaijan Targeted Stepanakert

However, he warned both sides of expanding hostilities with the Iranian territory. "Any aggression against the borders of the Islamic Republic, even inadvertently, is a very serious red line for the Islamic Republic that should not be crossed," he said.

Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict 

The new fight, which erupted on September 27, is considered to be the heaviest in decades. Hundreds of people have been killed in the past week, including over 40 civilians. The fight between the two countries has raised international concern about stability in the South Caucasus, where pipelines carry Azeri oil and gas to world markets. 

With fears of the clashes expanding into an all-out, multi-front war, there is a possibility that the fighting could also spill over to other regional powers — Turkey and Russia. While Ankara is Azerbaijan’s strongest supporter, Moscow, on the other hand, has a military base in Armenia. Earlier, Armenia even accused Turkey of supplying fighters to the conflict, drawing them out of northern-Syria. 

Amidst all this, thousands of people are fleeing to a part of southern Armenia to escape the conflict in the separatist region. Footage from British broadcaster Sky News showed ethnic Armenians arriving into the Goris area on October 4 carrying all the possessions they could after leaving their men on the front lines.

Read: Thousands In Armenia Fleeing N-Karabakh Fighting

Read: Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Russia, Armenia Discuss Situation Amid Tensions Over Phone

Image credits: AP