ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN ENGAGE IN DEADLY BORDER CLASHES

Tue 13 September 2022:

Armenia says that at least 49 of its soldiers have been killed in clashes along the border with Azerbaijan after a sharp escalation in hostilities.

In a speech to Armenia’s parliament, the country’s prime minister accused Azerbaijan of having attacked several Armenian towns, including Jermuk, Goris and Kapan.

Pashinyan said the attacks were carried out because Baku did not want to negotiate over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave which lies inside Azerbaijan but is mainly populated by ethnic Armenians.

Azerbaijan said it was attacked by Armenia.

Russia tells Armenia and Azerbaijan to observe ceasefire

Russia has called for Armenia and Azerbaijan to cease hostilities and observe a ceasefire agreement.

In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry said it had brokered a ceasefire at 09:00 Moscow time (06:00 GMT) on Tuesday and that it expected both sides to fulfill the terms of the agreement.

Pashinyan said earlier on Tuesday in a speech to Armenia’s parliament that the intensity of fighting had reduced from earlier in the morning, but was still active in some areas. Azerbaijani media said the ceasefire broke down within 15 minutes.

France to raise Armenia, Azerbaijan clashes at UN Security Council

France will raise the topic of clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the UN Security Council, the office of President Emmanuel Macron has said, adding that he continued to urge both sides to stick to a ceasefire.

Along with the United States and Russia, France is a co-president of the Minsk group, which mediates between Baku and Yerevan.

Turkey says Armenia ‘should cease provocations’ with Azerbaijan

Turkey’s foreign minister says he has held talks with his Azeri counterpart over “Armenian provocations” on the border with Azerbaijan and called on Yerevan to focus on peace negotiations.

“Armenia should cease its provocations and focus on peace negotiations and cooperation with Azerbaijan,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter after his discussions with Jeyhun Bayramov. Turkey is a close ally of Azerbaijan.

Baku and Yerevan have blamed each other for the flare-up in hostilities, which comes after Azerbaijan re-established full control over Nagorno-Karabakh in a six-week conflict in 2020.

Discussed Armenian provocations on the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border w/ my brother Foreign Minister @bayramov_jeyhun of Azerbaijan.

Armenia should cease its provocations & focus on peace negotiations and cooperation w/ Azerbaijan.🇹🇷🇦🇿

— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) September 13, 2022