Two Armenian soldiers killed in Nagorno-Karabakh
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Armenia and Azerbaijan trade accusations of violating a Russian-mediated ceasefire aimed at stopping the fighting in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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Armenian soldiers standing in a trench near Nagorno-Karabakh's town of Martuni, April 8, 2016 (Reuters)
Authorities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region reported that Azerbaijani troops killed two Armenian soldiers on Friday, accusing Baku of violating the Russian mediated ceasefire.
On its account, the Armenian Foreign Ministry stated that “Azerbaijani forces entered the village of Baruch, which is under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces," and that "this step constitutes a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense of the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said that “the enemy forces killed two soldiers after they opened fire with weapons and combat marches,” adding that the “the situation in the region is still tense,” expressing hope that “the Russian peacekeeping forces will be able to find a solution to this issue.”
Armenia has been accused by Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry of "misleading the international community" about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Armenia is spreading misinformation, and the Azerbaijani forces were conducting actions aimed at determining their field locations, “the ministry added.
Armenia warns of the gas disaster
Armenia has lately warned of a humanitarian disaster in the Karabakh region, accusing Baku of "deliberately cutting off gas supplies to Armenian residents."
Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected this accusation, and considered it "baseless", stressing that "the bad weather conditions led to the disruption of supplies."
Furthermore, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the region, which is experiencing unprecedented freezing temperatures, is “on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe”.
“This clearly shows that the policy of Azerbaijan towards the Armenians of Karabakh is to make their lives impossible on their land,” he added.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue and refrain from any actions that would escalate the situation.
It is worth mentioning that Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in the disputed region in 2020, killing over 6,500 people. The two sides reached a Russian-mediated ceasefire agreement in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on November 9, 2020, which entered into force on November 10, 2020, after battles that lasted about a month and a half and resulted in Azerbaijan controlling of large parts of the territory.
