Russia on Tuesday said it negotiated a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan after the two rivals resumed large-scale clashes along their border in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region on Monday.
“We expect that an agreement reached as a result of Russian mediation on a ceasefire from 9:00 a.m. Moscow time (06:00 GMT) on Sept. 13 this year will be carried out in full,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Both sides have accused each other of provoking tensions and violating the ceasefire reached following the 2020 war.
Heavy artillery fire being reported from Azerbaijan towards Armenia. pic.twitter.com/q3uNO4mJHi
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) September 12, 2022
The Armenian Defence Ministry said in a statement that clashes “began as a result of a large-scale provocation by the Azerbaijani side.” “The enemy continues intensive shelling from artillery, mortars, drones and large-calibre guns both at military and civilian infrastructures. In some areas, Azerbaijani units have taken actions for positional advancement,” it claimed.
It noted that even though the situation remains “extremely tense” in the region, Armenian forces “are giving an adequate response to the enemy and fully carrying out the combat tasks.” Armenia also alleged that Azerbaijani troops had targeted the civilian population and infrastructure.
The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry rejected Armenia’s claims, accusing Armenian armed units of committing “large-scale provocations” in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin areas of Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku claimed that Armenian forces mined the territories and supply roads linking them. “Confrontation occurred as a result of urgent measures taken by the Azerbaijan Army Units in order to immediately suppress these actions,” it noted.
The United States is deeply concerned about reports of active hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We urge an end to military hostilities immediately. There is no military solution to the conflict. https://t.co/cGeWXpbzKS
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 13, 2022
The ministry added that “there were losses among [Azerbaijani] military personnel” and damage to military infrastructure. It also claimed that “there were losses of manpower and combat equipment” on the Armenian side. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that 49 Armenian soldiers were killed in the clashes.
Furthermore, Baku denied Yerevan’s claims that Azerbaijani forces had attacked civilians and asserted that if civilians have been targeted, then such attacks were carried out by Armenia. In a separate statement, Azerbaijan called Armenian claims that Azerbaijan started the fighting “nonsense.”
“Armenia is the only aggressor and occupier in the region. The presence of personnel and equipment of the Armenian armed forces in the Karabakh economic zone of Azerbaijan continues,” it underscored.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said Armenia’s actions are “completely contrary to the ongoing normalisation and peace process” and a “gross violation of the fundamental norms and principles of international law.” “Responsibility for the provocation, clashes and losses lies with the military-political leadership of Armenia,” it stressed.
An official video by ARM MOD reportedly shows the attempt of Azeri troops to cross the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.
— Ani Avetisyan (@AvetissianAn) September 13, 2022
The attempt failed according to MOD. pic.twitter.com/kRsqMVqaqw
Meanwhile, Pashinyan spoke with world leaders immediately following the outbreak of hostilities and urged them to take action against Azerbaijan.
In a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan said Azerbaijan was entirely responsible for provoking the clashes. Pashinyan and Putin agreed to keep in “operational contact” during the length of the conflict.
The Armenian PM also held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken and urged them to support Armenia.
Deeply concerned by reports of Azerbaijani attacks on Armenian territory. Shelling Armenian towns & innocent civilians is illegal & unacceptable. The world must stand up to authoritarian brutality. The US must end all security assistance to Azerbaijan now. https://t.co/l2LB3DayJp
— Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) September 13, 2022
The US State Department called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to end hostilities immediately. “There can be no military solution to the conflict,” Washington emphasised.
The latest round of violence threatens to derail any progress made to end the conflict. Pashinyan has met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels three times since April, and both leaders have vowed to take steps to de-escalate tensions. In addition, the foreign ministers of Baku and Yerevan have been meeting regularly to outline measures to ensure adherence to the ceasefire.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in constant conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the fall of the Soviet Union. In September 2020, they fought a devastating war that led to the worst clashes in decades, killing thousands and displacing more than 100,000 people. The fighting ended in November last year after Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal, which stated that Azerbaijan would remain in control of areas it recaptured from Armenia and that Russian troops would be deployed to the region to ensure that calm prevails.