Russia, EU concerned over ceasefire violation in Nagorno-Karabakh
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After the violation of the ceasefire reached on Friday (October 9) by Armenia and Azerbaijan with Russia's mediation, Moscow and Brussels have expressed concern about the conflict.
Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov told his counterpart from Armenia that the agreement was not complied with.
"We spent last Friday and Saturday, at least part of Saturday, in this building, together with your Azerbaijani counterpart. An important agreement was reached at the initiative of [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin. We see that this agreement is not yet fully implemented, as combat activities continue," Lavrov told Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Russia's state-run Sputnik News reported.
The agreement was reached after an 11-hour meeting of the three ministers.
The European Union's diplomatic chief Josep Borrel yesterday (October 11) expressed his "deep concern" over reports of violations of a cease-fire between neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"We note with extreme concern the reports of continued military activities, including against civilian targets, as well as civilian casualties," Borrell said in a statement.
He added that the bloc's 27 member states should "engage in substantive negotiations without delay" under the auspices of the so-called Minsk Group, a decadeslong process led by France, Russia and the United States to find a lasting solution to the conflict.
The Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region of approximately 4,400 square kilometers in the Caucasus between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Relations between the two former Soviet countries have been tense since 1989 over Nagorno-Karabakh, or Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan populated mostly by Armenians. In 1989, the parliament of Azerbaijan removed Nagorno-Karabakh's autonomous status, which had been in place since 1923. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenia began military operations into Nagorno-Karabakh in 1991. In the same year, the separatist administration in Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence. The Azeri people of the region had boycotted the independence referendum. The independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh republic, is not recognized by any United Nations member state, including Armenia. Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions as well as many international organizations demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces. The OSCE Minsk Group – co-chaired by France, Russia and the US – was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. A cease-fire was agreed upon in 1994. France, Russia and NATO, among others, have urged an immediate halt to clashes in the occupied region. During the conflict between 1988-1994, about one million people were displaced and 30,000 were killed. |
(PT/VK)