MOSCOW – The Russian army yesterday reported a violation of the ceasefire that ended the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia last month in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“One case of ceasefire violation was reported on December 11 in the Hadrut district,” said a statement from the Defence Ministry, which has deployed peacekeepers to the region.
The Armenian army reported attacks from Azerbaijan on two villages that are under the control of Karabakh forces.
The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said “adequate countermeasures” have been taken against “provocations” from the other side, but added that the truce is “currently being respected”.
A spokesman for Russian peacekeeping forces confirmed “exchanges of fire with automatic weapons”, telling the Ria Novosti press agency that requests to respect the ceasefire have been sent to both parties.
Earlier in the day, Karabakh forces announced that three of their fighters were wounded in an assault by Azerbaijani troops.
Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenian fighters on Friday evening, and “three were wounded in the ensuing firefight”, said the territorial Defence Ministry.
It was Russia’s first report of a violation since the peace deal was reached on November 10.
Also yesterday, the French and US heads of the so-called Minsk Group, which led talks on the conflict for decades, but failed to achieve a lasting agreement, met Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.
The envoys, Stephane Visconti and Andrew Schofer, are expected in Yerevan today.
Six weeks of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, which left thousands dead on both sides, ended last month in a rout for the Armenian military.
The Moscow-sponsored deal handed territorial gains to Azerbaijan and allowed for some 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to be deployed to the region.
On a visit to Baku on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed what he dubbed his close ally’s “glorious victory” in the conflict.
Erdogan, who attended celebrations marking the Azeri success, has overtly supported Azerbaijan, helping to train and arm its military.
He warned, however, that “Azerbaijan’s saving its lands from occupation does not mean that the struggle is over”. – AFP, December 13, 2020
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