Violation of ceasefire regime recorded in Nagorno-Karabakh: Russian FM

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Jul 2023 22:45

An investigation has been launched into the matter.

Armenian soldiers guard a checkpoint on the road leading to Kalbajar, near the village of Charektar, on November 25, 2020 (AFP)

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that a case of ceasefire violation has been recorded in the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in the Askeran province in contested Nagorno-Karabakh.

"One case of violation of the ceasefire regime has been recorded in the Askeran area. There were no casualties. Together with the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides, the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is investigating the incident," the statement read.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two conflicts over the Armenian-populated area of Nagorno-Karabakh, one in 2020 and another in the 1990s. Now, they are quarreling over the corridor.

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

Latest updates reveal that Moscow has renewed its offer to host talks between Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, suggesting that a peace treaty could be signed under Russian auspices.

Moscow is ready "to organize a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers in Moscow in the near future," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministery offered to hold a "Russian-Azerbaijani-Armenian summit in Moscow to sign the relevant [peace] treaty," which put an end to the conflict.