Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to a ceasefire in Karabakh.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to a ceasefire in Karabakh from 12:00 on October 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after 10-hour talks in Moscow.
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| Fighting in Karabakh |
"At the call of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan agreed: First, a ceasefire will be introduced from 12:00 on October 10, 2020 for humanitarian purposes to exchange prisoners, other detainees and bodies of the deceased through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross," Lavrov said.
Baku and Yerevan also agreed to start "substantive negotiations with the aim of reaching a peaceful settlement as soon as possible." At the same time, the parties confirmed the immutability of the format of the negotiation process on Karabakh.
Following the joint document, the specific parameters of the ceasefire will be further agreed upon.
Talks between the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh were held behind closed doors. Before the start of the meeting, the parties refrained from making statements.
Clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh intensified on the morning of September 27. Both Baku and Yerevan accused each other. Armenia declared martial law and general mobilization. Men between the ages of 18 and 55 were banned from leaving the country. Azerbaijan also imposed a curfew and localized military mobilization.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Baku receives active support from Türkiye (a NATO member). Meanwhile, Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The leaders of Russia, the United States and France - co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on Karabakh - have called on the sides to end the clashes and start negotiations without preconditions. The leaders condemned the escalation of the conflict and expressed condolences to the relatives of those killed.
