BAKU — A Russian-brokered ceasefire was holding
Wednesday at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, officials said, a day after
deadly clashes between the arch-foes sparked fears of another flare-up in their
territorial dispute.
اضافة اعلان
On Tuesday, clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops
left eight soldiers dead in the worst fighting since last year's war over the
long-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The six-week conflict, which claimed the lives of more than
6,500 people, ended last November in a Russia-mediated deal that saw Armenia
cede swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.
Tuesday's fighting ended in the evening after mediation by
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"Seven servicemen died and 10 more were wounded in the
clashes provoked Tuesday by Armenia," Baku's defense ministry said, adding
that the situation at the border "stabilized on Tuesday evening."
Armenia's defense ministry said one Armenian soldier was
killed, 13 were captured by Azerbaijani forces and 24 servicemen were missing.
It said "the situation at the border's eastern sector
was relatively calm and a ceasefire agreement was being respected" on
Wednesday morning.
Calls for restraint
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday accused
Azerbaijan of "targeting Armenia's statehood, sovereignty, and
independence."
Baku said Yerevan was responsible for a "large-scale
military provocation."
Armenia appealed to its Russian ally for military support
under the Collective Security Treaty Organization pact, which obliges Moscow to
protect it in the event of a foreign invasion.
"Given that there was an attack on Armenia's sovereign
territory, we appeal to the Russian Federation to protect Armenia's territorial
integrity," Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said Tuesday.
The same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the
situation with Pashinyan by phone, the Kremlin said in a statement, and agreed
to "continue contacts" on the matter.
Before the ceasefire was announced, the EU and the UN called
on both sides to cease hostilities.
European Council President Charles Michel on Twitter called
for a "full ceasefire", while the UN urged Baku and Yerevan to
"exercise restraint".
The French foreign ministry in a statement expressed its
"deep concern" and called on all parties to respect the agreements
that were reached in November 2020.
Since last year's war, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have
reported occasional exchanges of fire.
Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away
from Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and an ensuing conflict
claimed around 30,000 lives.
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