Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiated a ceasefire to end a flare-up of fighting that has killed 155 soldiers from both sides, a senior Armenian official said early Thursday.

Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, declared, through a televised speech, a truce between Armenia and Azerbaijan that took place at 8:00 pm (1600 GMT) on Wednesday. Earlier, Russia brokered a ceasefire on Tuesday but it collapsed as soon as it was put into effect. 

Armenia’s Defense Ministry had reported that shelling had ceased. However, prior to Grigoryan’s announcement, there was no mention of a ceasefire between the two warring countries.

The ceasefire statement came after two days of battle between the two countries, which represented the worst outbreak of hostilities between the two in over two years.

Thousands of protestors flocked to the streets of Armenia's capital late Wednesday, accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of betraying his country by appeasing Azerbaijan and people further demanded his resignation.

Since the combat began early Tuesday, 105 Armenian soldiers have been killed, while Azerbaijan has lost 50 soldiers. Authorities in Azerbaijan have stated that they are willing to hand up the remains of up to 100 Armenian troops unilaterally.

Tensions erupt over Karabakh

Clashes erupt every now and then between both sides despite a Russian-backed ceasefire agreement. Last month, tensions erupted over Nagorno-Karabakh as three soldiers were killed and Azerbaijan said it had taken control of several strategic heights in the disputed region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two conflicts over Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated area of Nagorno-Karabakh, one in 2020 and one in the 1990s.

Six weeks of violence in the autumn of 2020 claimed over 6,500 lives and ended with a ceasefire accord sponsored by Russia, which sent 2,000 peacekeepers to monitor the truce as tensions persist despite the ceasefire deal.

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