Nagorny-Karabakh: a third ceasefire attempt shatters

A third attempt to end the fighting between the Azerbaijani army and Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh was shattered on Monday, October 26, with both sides blaming themselves for the "

" of a ceasefire negotiated in Washington .

This "

" in the fighting which has inflamed this mountainous region of the Caucasus since September 27 was to come into effect Monday at 0800 local time (0400 GMT), but the belligerents immediately reported its violation, as in the two previous attempts in recent years. weeks.

Read also: How Baku broke through Nagorno-Karabakh

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry accused the Armenian forces of having bombed the town of Terter and neighboring villages, as well as positions of the Baku army, while assuring that it “

” the agreement.

“

,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a televised address.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pachinian, for his part, said on Facebook that Yerevan "

".

The

Nagorno-Karabakh

"

" of Defense for its part denounced enemy artillery fire on its positions in various parts of the front, while saying that the forces under its control "

".

According to the Nagorny Karabakh human rights delegate, a civilian was killed and two others were injured on Monday in an Azerbaijani missile attack on a village in the separatist region.

Read also: Armenia and Azerbaijan again commit to a "humanitarian ceasefire" from Monday

The two camps each denounced a "

" of the truce by the opposing party.

This agreement was negotiated over the weekend in Washington during the campaign of US President Donald Trump for his re-election.

The latter promised that he would "

" this conflict, assuring that it would be "

".

A first truce between Yerevan and Baku was concluded in Moscow on October 10 and a second in Paris on October 17.

They both shattered very quickly.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov lamented Monday that the conflict continues to be in an "

", adding that Moscow was ready to "

".

Diplomatic stalemate

In Stepanakert, the main city of Nagorno-Karabakh, the night was calm, according to AFP journalists.

But 10 minutes before the ceasefire went into effect on Monday morning, an explosion sounded and smoke was visible on a nearby hill, then artillery fire was heard in the distance twice.

The international community has so far proved incapable of negotiating a lasting truce and even more so a peaceful end to the conflict.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have been largely inflexible.

Nikol Pachinian last week ruled out any

immediate "

" to the conflict, calling on volunteers to join the front.

“

, ”he said.

Read also: Thousands of Armenians gathered to demand the "recognition" of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh

Ilham Aliev, for his part, described his opponents as "

" or "

", judging that any negotiation should be preceded by a withdrawal of Armenian forces from Karabakh, territory that the international community recognizes as part of Azerbaijan. .

Azerbaijan, on the strength of its oil revenues, has armed itself without counting the costs in recent years, notably with Russia, Turkey and Israel.

Ankara is also accused of having deployed pro-Turkish fighters from Syria in the ongoing conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country traditionally acts as arbiter in the region, said Thursday that the death toll since the end of September has approached 5,000.

Since September 27, Azerbaijani forces have conquered territories beyond Baku's control since the 1990s and a war, in the wake of the fall of the USSR, which left 30,000 dead and resulted in the secession of this region today. hui populated almost exclusively by Armenians.

Read also: The Armenian community of France united for Nagorno-Karabakh

Mediators from the Minsk Group and ministers from the two countries agreed to meet in Geneva on Thursday to discuss "

".