– At midnight on Tuesday, Azerbaijan launched intensive shelling with artillery and heavy caliber firearms on Armenian military positions in the direction of the cities of Goris, Sotak and Jermuk, the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressed deep concern about the conflict Tuesday night.
We have made it very clear that there can be no military solution to this conflict. We demand an immediate cessation of military hostilities, Blinken told the press.
In 2021, Vladimir Putin mediated between the Armenian prime minister and the Azerbaijani president in the Kremlin. The goal was to establish a lasting peace. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev/AP/NTB
disputed area
The conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh border region has been going on for decades. Azerbaijan assumed full control of the territory in a six-week conflict in 2020. It admitted losses in the clash, according to Reuters news agency. Armenia should not have admitted defeat.
They also wrote that Azerbaijan should use drones.
At the same time, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accuses Armenia of committing “large-scale sabotage acts” near the border areas of Dasheksan, Kalbajar and Lasin, adding that its positions were bombed.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Putin recently on September 7 this year. Photo: Valery Sharifulin/AP/Scanpix
He will ask for support from Russia
Since the end of the war on the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2020, there have been frequent reports of shootings along the border between the two countries.
Armenia has stated that it will seek Russian support, solidifying the appeal in a cooperation agreement it has with Russia. Interfax wrote that they would also seek support from a Russian-led security force and the United Nations Security Council. Armenia and Russia have a close alliance consisting of more than 250 international treaties and agreements, including an agreement on mutual assistance in the event of an attack on one of the two countries.
This is not necessarily unproblematic, because Russia also has a problem Cooperation agreement with Azerbaijan, which is referred to as the “Alliance”. The agreement was concluded two days before the attack on Ukraine. Eurasianet wrote that the alliance was supposed to ensure the country’s loyalty to Russia during the offensive.
Blame each other
According to a number of local news agencies, the Azerbaijani Defense Minister said that “several sites came under heavy fire from the Armenian army.”
According to Azerbaijan, Armenian forces were very active along its borders and pushed arms and troops into the region.
The attacks were local and targeted only military targets.
The Armenian Defense Minister stated that the intense shooting “began due to a large-scale provocation” by Azerbaijan.
– He said Armenia carried out a proportionate response, according to the Reuters news agency.
An old struggle in a new political landscape
The conflict broke out in the late 1980s, when both sides were under Soviet control, and Armenian forces captured large areas near Nagorno-Karabakh. The region was recognized as the territory of Azerbaijan, but has a large Armenian population.
Azerbaijan reclaimed the territory in 2020, and Russia ended up negotiating a peace settlement. Thousands of residents have returned to the homes from which they fled.
The leaders of the two countries met several times to find an agreement that could create a lasting peace.
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