The conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region continues.
The UN Security Council intervenes, Russia tries in vain to mediate.
However, a phone call could turn things around.
War-like conditions prevail
between
Armenia and Azerbaijan
.
The
UN Security Council
demands "immediately" to stop the fighting.
Russia
wants to mediate -
but
Armenia
refuses.
But now it could turn around.
(Update from October 1st, 10:59 p.m.).
Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
describes the intervention of the USA, Russia and France as "unacceptable" (update from October 1, 3:22 pm).
Update from October 1, 10:59 p.m.:
The signs in the
disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh region
are pointing to relaxation instead of tension:
Russia
has agreed with Turkey
to coordinate closely
in the conflict over the disputed
Caucasus region
.
As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in Moscow, Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov
and his Turkish colleague
Mevlüt Cavusoglu confirmed
in a telephone
conversation
that both countries were ready for “close coordination” in order to “stabilize the situation”.
The aim is therefore to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through “peaceful negotiations”.
Ankara initially gave no information about the content of the phone call.
From Turkish diplomatic circles it was reported that the topic was the "attack on Armenia".
Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
had previously made a ceasefire conditional on the withdrawal of pro-Armenian fighters from Nagorno-Karabakh and other parts of Azerbaijan.
Armenia must "withdraw from every area of Azerbaijani territory," said Erdogan in a televised address.
Nagorno-Karabakh: This is what the conflict is about - Turkey and Russia play a major role
Nagorno-Karabakh
is located in
Azerbaijan
, but is mostly inhabited by Armenians, who also have the region under their control.
To this day, the
self-proclaimed
Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic is
not recognized internationally and is considered part of Azerbaijan under international law.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been going on for decades.
However, the area had been relatively calm in recent years until new fighting flared up on Sunday.
The
competition between Russia and Turkey
for influence in the Caucasus region also plays an important role in
the conflict
.
Oil-rich Azerbaijan has upgraded its army in recent years and can count on the support of Turkey.
On Tuesday, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that a Turkish F-16 jet had shot down an Armenian military aircraft.
Turkey rejected the allegation.
Russia is historically considered to be
Armenia's protective power
and maintains a military base there.
At the same time, Moscow maintains good
relations with Azerbaijan
and supplies it with weapons.
War in Nagorno-Karabakh: Several Hundred Fatalities?
French reporter seriously injured
Update from October 1, 9:02 p.m.:
Regardless of international calls for restraint, the fighting in the controversial
Caucasus region Nagorno-Karabakh
continues.
On Thursday, the fighting even intensified, according to the Armenian Ministry of Defense.
"We demand an immediate cessation of hostilities," demanded the heads of state of the so-called
Minsk Group of
the Organization for Cooperation and Development in Europe (OSCE) in a joint statement.
The group to defuse the conflict has been led by Russia, France and the USA since 1992.
So far, however, there is no sign of de-escalation.
In the small town of Martuni, which is around 25 kilometers from the
front line
, residents fled
to their cellars
from
heavy fire
on Thursday
.
“I built this house with my own hands,” said 54-year-old construction worker Artak Alojan, who was sitting in his basement with an older neighbor.
“I'm not going anywhere.
I will die here in the final battle. "
According to the Armenian Embassy in France,
two
French journalists
who interviewed residents of Martuni were
seriously injured
by "Azerbaijani aerial bombs"
.
The reporter and photographer from
Le Monde
newspaper
were to be flown out, according to President Macron.
New massive disputes between Armenia & Azerbaijan alarm me.
Call on parties to immediately stop all fighting and especially the shelling of villages and towns.
Conflict over the region #BergKarabach can only be resolved in negotiations.-AM @HeikoMaas pic.twitter.com/QQ9xrTdzwu
- Federal Foreign Office (@AuswaertigesAmt) September 27, 2020
There is so far only incomplete information
on the
number of victims
.
On the Armenian side, 104 soldiers and eight civilians are said to have been killed since Sunday.
Azerbaijan is silent about victims in its army and only speaks of 19 civilians killed.
A spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry said about 350 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the new skirmishes.
Nagorno-Karabakh: Jihadist fighters allegedly in disputed territory
Update from October 1, 16:39:
In the conflict area
of Nagorno-Karabakh
fighters by French Information
jihadist groups in Syria
active, who came to the region via Turkey.
French President
Emmanuel Macron
spoke
of a "very serious matter"
ahead of the start of the
EU summit
in Brussels on Thursday.
This should be discussed with the other EU heads of state and government.
The summit lasts until Friday.
Update from October 1, 3:22 p.m
.: Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
has described efforts by the
USA
,
Russia
and
France
for a ceasefire in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region
as "unacceptable".
Before the parliament in Ankara on Thursday he accused the three states of ignoring the problem in the region for almost 30 years.
That is why one is now confronted with these "negative developments".
The
Turkey
in the conflict supported its ally
Azerbaijan
.
Erdogan described
Armenia
in the speech as a "bandit state" that had to withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh.
That is a prerequisite for lasting peace.
By contrast, the
presidents of the
United States
,
Russia
and
France issued
a joint statement on Thursday calling for a return to an unconditional ceasefire.
Nagorno-Karabakh: War in the shadow of Europe - Trump and Putin intervene
Update from October 1, 2:30 p.m.:
According to the Kremlin, the presidents of the USA, Russia and France have
condemned
the military violence in the
Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict region in a joint statement
.
Heavy shelling had raged between the two warring countries Armenia and Azerbaijan in the past few days.
As the Kremlin announced in Moscow, they called on Thursday for an immediate cessation of fighting and a return to the ceasefire.
The declaration was signed by US President
Donald Trump
, France's head of state
Emmanuel Macron
and Kremlin chief
Vladimir Putin
.
In Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, things initially remained quiet on Thursday.
However, a large contingent of police made the tense situation clear.
During the night, the city, darkened by the fighting, was shaken by two explosions.
Apparently none of the conflicting parties achieved any noteworthy military successes.
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict continues
Update from September 30, 3:14 p.m.:
The conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan
over the
Nagorno-Karabakh
region
remains tense.
On Wednesday (September 30th) the Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan turned down
an offer to mediate by
Russia
.
Both parties to the conflict announced a continuation of intense fighting along the front line, which extends over 180 kilometers.
With the interference of other countries, the international fear grows that the conflict could spread and even develop into a proxy war between Russia and Turkey.
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict: Russia offers to negotiate - Armenia refuses
With regard to the "intense military conflicts" it is "inappropriate" to speak of a "summit between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia",
Pashinyan told
the Russian news agency Interfax.
In order for negotiations to take place, a
“suitable atmosphere”
would first have to be
created.
+
The image released by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense shows the Azerbaijani armed forces destroying the Armenian air defense system on the contact line of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Azerbaijan.
© dpa
Russia
had offered to mediate between the warring neighboring states.
The UN Security Council had also asked both sides to return to the negotiating table and end the fighting "immediately".
At least
98 people have been
killed, including 17 civilians,
since it began on Sunday
.
Both countries communicate that they have inflicted even greater losses on their respective opponents.
First report from September 30, 10.55 a.m .:
Baku / Yerevan - On the fourth day in a row, heavy shelling broke out between the two warring countries Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The conflict over the South Caucasus region Nagorno-Karabakh does not end.
On Wednesday morning (September 30) there was artillery fire along the entire demarcation line, said a
spokeswoman for the Armenian Defense Ministry
in Yerevan.
In contrast, the
Azerbaijani military
maintains
that the city of Terter was attacked by the Armenians on its own territory.
Many people were injured and buildings were destroyed.
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict: UN calls for talks and cessation of fighting
The
UN Security Council
has called for the fighting to cease “immediately”.
The 15 Member States of the most powerful UN body called on the parties to the conflict "without hesitation" to the negotiating table. But they should be using the so-called Minsk Group of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE)
cooperate. The Security Council published on Tuesday evening (29 September) in New York a corresponding declaration.
Agreement does not seem to be in sight at first.
Both the
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
and the
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
had
announced
the
continuation of the fighting
shortly before
.
Both sides claim to have already inflicted heavy losses on enemy troops.
+
Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan
© Editor: M. Lorenz / Graphics: F. Bökelmann / dpa
In addition, the UN Security Council fears that the intervention of foreign powers will continue to pour fuel into the fire and that the new conflict will spread.
On Tuesday, the Armenian Defense Ministry alleged that a
Turkish fighter jet
had shot down an Armenian military plane.
Ankara
immediately denied this.
The special summit of EU heads of state and government will also deal with the conflict on Thursday and Friday, as Council President Charles Michel announced.
Chancellor Angela Merkel * (CDU *) called on Tuesday in phone calls with
Pashinyan
and
Aliyev
to return to the negotiating table within the Minsk group.
Russian President
Vladimir Putin,
on the other hand,
stressed
the "urgent need" for a ceasefire
during a telephone
conversation
with
Pashinyan
.
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh flared up again after years
Nagorno-Karabakh
is located in Azerbaijan, but is mostly inhabited by Armenians, who also have the region under their control.
The conflict over the region has been going on for decades.
After a bloody war with 30,000 dead, the formerly autonomous Soviet area
declared
its
independence from Azerbaijan
in
the early 1990s
.
However, the region is not recognized by any country as a separate state and is still considered part of Azerbaijan internationally.
On Sunday the conflict had flared up again after years of relative calm.
The situation is complicated by the competition between
Turkey and Russia
for greater influence in the South Caucasus.
(lb / dpa / AFP) * Mekur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network
List of rubric lists: © dpa