Russian peacekeepers said on Wednesday they had evacuated more than 2,000 civilians, including more than 1,000 children, from the “most dangerous” areas of Karabakh, a day after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the disputed region.
“The Russian peacekeeping contingent continues to evacuate the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh from the most dangerous areas,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
On Tuesday evening, Azerbaijan’s presidency called on troops in Nagorno-Karabakh – an Azerbaijani breakaway region with a predominantly Armenian population – to lay down their arms as a condition for starting negotiations.
“The illegal Armenian forces must raise the white flag, hand over all weapons and the illegal regime must be dissolved. Otherwise, anti-terrorism operations will continue until the end,” he stated.
At least 29 people have been killed in the fighting since Tuesday. The separatists reported 27 deaths, including two civilians, and more than 200 injuries, while about seven thousand residents from 16 locations were displaced.
Azerbaijan reported that two civilians had been killed in areas under its control.
Separatists claim that several towns in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the capital Stepanakert, are being targeted by “heavy fire”, which is also hitting civilian infrastructure.
Baku announced that 60 Armenian positions had been captured.
Armenia, in turn, denounced a “large-scale aggression” aimed at “ethnic cleansing” but claimed to have no troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, indicating that the separatists were the only ones fighting Azerbaijani soldiers.
Armenia believes that it is up to Russia, which is the guarantor of a 2020 ceasefire, with peacekeepers on the ground, to act to “stop Azerbaijan’s aggression.”
The 2020 conflict resulted in a military defeat for Armenia, which was forced to cede territory to Azerbaijan.
The UN Secretary General calls for an immediate end to the fighting
The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) called for an “immediate cessation of fighting” in Nagorno-Karabakh.
France has already called for an “emergency meeting” of the UN Security Council in light of an “illegal” and “unjustified” offensive by Baku in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The meeting could take place on Thursday, two diplomatic sources told news agency France-Presse (AFP).
The head of the UN, Portuguese António Guterres, strongly called for an immediate end to the fighting (…) and for stricter compliance with the 2020 ceasefire and the principles of international humanitarian law . statement released Tuesday evening by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.
Russia also called for “an immediate end to bloodshed, an end to hostilities and an end to civilian casualties” in a Russian Foreign Ministry statement on Wednesday morning.
Iran calls for dialogue
Iran called on Wednesday for dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, recalling that Tehran considers the Nagorno-Karabakh region as Azerbaijani territory where the conflict is worsening after three years of relative calm.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers Nagorno-Karabakh part of the Republic of Azerbaijan and states that all issues, including the security rights of residents, should be resolved through dialogue”This was said by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani.
The Iranian diplomat expressed concern “about the deterioration of the situation” and called on Baku and Yerevan to “respect the ceasefire.”
Iran has indicated that it will not accept “changes” on the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Iran and Azerbaijan have tense relations due to Baku’s proximity to Israel.
Source: DN
