Russia, Azerbaijan held phone calls over clash between Yerevan, Baku

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Sep 2022 22:49
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Foreign ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan spoke of the recent escalation that occurred at the borders between Yerevan and Baku.

A total of 49 Armenian soldiers were killed as a result of shelling on the border with Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov had a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday to discuss clashes in the Southern Caucasus, a press release of the Azerbaijani ministry read.

"On September 13, 2022, a phone conversation took place between Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov. Clashes and tension in the region were discussed during the phone conversation," the ministry said.

According to Baku, the Armenian military fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani troops on the border late on Monday. Yerevan, in turn. said that the Azerbaijani military shelled the Armenian side, using artillery and drones, as a result of which several Armenian servicemen were killed. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry also reported losses in its ranks. The clashes continued the next day.

Bayramov informed Lavrov about "the large-scale provocations of the armed forces of Armenia" in the Azerbaijan-Armenia border areas, as well as the measures "taken to prevent military threats to the territory and sovereignty" by Baku, according to the ministry.

Lavrov, on his part, stressed the importance of preventing the conflict in the region, as well as observing the trilateral statements signed between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia back in 2020.

Last night, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of striking its territory with artillery and drones. This comes right after a ceasefire was reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Haqqn news portal, which cited sources, revealed that Yerevan and Baku agreed to a truce at 05:00 GMT. Shortly after, the ceasefire collapsed after the fighting renewed.

Earlier today, White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby downplayed Russia's influence by stating the US does not see any indication of Russian forces repositioning amid Armenia and Azerbaijan border clashes.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated in calls with leaders of the two countries that the US will seek an immediate end to fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Both Russia and Iran issued calls earlier today for resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. "We are in close contact with Baku and Yerevan. We have received an appeal from the Armenian leadership with a request to assist in resolving the situation in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and through the CSTO. We hope that the agreement reached as a result of Russian mediation on a ceasefire from 9:00 Moscow time [06:00 GMT] on September 13 this year will be carried out in full," the Russian ministry said in a statement.

In the same context, Iran has expressed its readiness to help settle the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and is calling for restraint and resolution of disagreements through peaceful means and based on international law, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

On another note, Turkey has called on Yerevan to focus on peace negotiations with Azerbaijan, expressing clear diplomatic alignment with Azerbaijan.

Earlier today, France accepted Armenia's request for the UN Security Council to discuss the recent tensions and escalation between Yerevan and Baku, with consultation due to take place on September 14.