Russia claimed to have mediated a truce between Armenia and Azerbaijan after violence erupted on the two nations’ border this week, threatening to reignite a decades-old conflict.
“We call on the parties to show caution and rigorously follow the ceasefire in line with the trilateral declarations of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia dated November 9, 2020, January 11, and November 26, 2021,” stated a Russian foreign ministry statement.
“We are in close contact with Baku and Yerevan. An appeal was received from the Armenian leadership to assist in resolving the situation … We expect that the agreement reached as a result of Russian mediation on a ceasefire from 9.00 am Moscow time on September 13 will be carried out in full,” it added.
The announcement comes after a phone chat between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Local media in Azerbaijan reported on the ceasefire as well but indicated it had already been violated.
The Armenian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday morning that Azerbaijani Armed Forces carried out artillery attacks against Armenian border towns. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, the strike comprised drones and large-calibre weaponry fired in the direction of Goris, Sotk, and Jermuk.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense published a statement recognizing the attacks but claiming that they are “small-scale” and “intended to protect the security of Azerbaijan’s borders.”
On Monday, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense accused Armenian forces of shooting small weapons in the direction of the Gadabay region’s Novoivanovka hamlet and the Lachin region’s Husulu settlement near the two nations’ border. Armenia has disputed the accusations.
The two nations battled in 2020 over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, a landlocked enclave between Eastern Europe and Western Asia populated and governed by ethnic Armenians but located on Azerbaijani territory. The fighting ceased when Armenian-backed separatists agreed to hand over control of regions in the troubled region.
The turmoil in the region dates back decades, to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when the region declared independence from Azerbaijan, backed by Armenia. Azerbaijan has always asserted that it will regain the internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory.
Armenia called on Russia on Tuesday to execute a 1997 defence pact that states the nations will protect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in the event of a hostile invasion.
“A decision was made to officially apply to the Russian Federation for the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance to the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the UN Security Council regarding the aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia,” a statement from the Armenian Prime Minister’s office read.
According to a statement from Pashinyan’s office, the request came following a meeting with the Armenian Security Council and a phone discussion between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Reuters, Russia previously sent peacekeeping soldiers to the region after mediating a ceasefire deal in early November 2020, after nearly two-month fighting that killed at least 6,500 people.
Pashinyan also talked with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, requesting an “appropriate response” from the international community in response to what he called “Azerbaijan’s assault on the sovereign territory of Armenia,” according to his office.
Blinken demanded an “immediate suspension of hostilities” on Monday evening.
“The United States is deeply concerned about reports of attacks along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including reported strikes against settlements and civilian infrastructure inside Armenia,” Blinken said in a statement. “As we have long made clear, there can be no military solution to the conflict. We urge an end to any military hostilities immediately.”
