Armenia says 49 troopers killed in clashes with Azerbaijan By Reuters



(Reuters) -Armenia stated on Tuesday that a minimum of 49 of its troopers had been killed in clashes alongside the border with Azerbaijan after a pointy escalation in hostilities that prompted massive powers to name for restraint.

Armenia stated that a number of cities close to the border with Azerbaijan, together with Jermuk, Goris and Kapan, had been being shelled within the early hours of Tuesday, and stated it had responded to what it referred to as a “large-scale provocation” by the Azerbaijan.

Baku stated it was attacked by Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of attacking Armenian cities as a result of it didn’t need to negotiate over the standing of Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave that’s inside Azerbaijan however primarily populated by ethnic Armenians.

“The depth of hostilities has decreased however assaults on one or two fronts from Azerbaijan proceed,” Pashinyan stated in a speech to parliament, in accordance with Russian media.

The newest escalation of decades-old hostilities between the 2 south Caucasus international locations has fuelled fears {that a} second full-fledged struggle might get away within the post-Soviet world along with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Azerbaijan, which accused Armenia of carrying intelligence exercise alongside the border and transferring weapons, stated its army positions got here underneath assault by Armenia. Azerbaijani media reported {that a} ceasefire settlement had been damaged virtually instantly after being enforced early on Tuesday.

“As we’ve lengthy made clear, there will be no army answer to the battle,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in an announcement. “We urge an finish to any army hostilities instantly.”

Russia, which operates a army base in Armenia, is a key energy dealer within the area and an ally of Yerevan by way of the Moscow-led Collective Safety Treaty Group, whereas Turkey backs Azerbaijan.

The defence ministers of Armenia and Russia spoke on Tuesday morning and agreed to take steps to stabilise the state of affairs on the border, whereas Turkish Overseas Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held a name along with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov and referred to as for Armenia to “stop its provocations.”

Charles Michel, president of the European Council, additionally urged Pashinyan to stop additional escalation.

Russia despatched 1000’s of peacekeepers to the area in 2020 as a part of a deal to finish six weeks of hostilities between the perimeters which noticed Azerbaijan make vital territorial good points in and round Nagorno-Karabakh.

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