Armenia and Azerbaijan announce "humanitarian truce" from this Sunday
In Nagorno-Karabakh, the capital Stepanakert under bombardments on October 10, 2020. ARIS MESSINIS / AFP
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Armenia and Azerbaijan announced a "humanitarian truce" from midnight Saturday, according to statements from the foreign ministries of the two countries.
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"
The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan have agreed on a humanitarian truce from October 18 at 00:00 local time,
" the Armenian Foreign Ministry said, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry confirming in an identical statement .
This is
the second time
the two sides have tried to reach a ceasefire after three weeks of fighting that left hundreds dead in Nagorno Karabakh.
The announcement comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by telephone in the evening with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts and insisted on "
the need for strict compliance
" with the ceasefire concluded last Saturday. in Moscow, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Azerbaijan has achieved territorial gains over the past three weeks without winning a decisive battle.
Baku has so far not revealed the cost of the conflict, releasing no military, material or human toll.
The separatists claim to have killed thousands of men, admit having had to back down but claim to "
control the situation
".
Officially, they lost around 700 men, and half of the 140,000 inhabitants were displaced.
The fear of an internationalization of the conflict
Besides a potential humanitarian crisis, the international community fears an internationalization of the conflict, Turkey supporting Azerbaijan.
Armenia, which financially and militarily supports the separatists, is in a military alliance with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron "greeted" this humanitarian truce on Saturday evening, the Elysee said in a statement.
The French presidency adds that this truce was concluded "
at the end of a French mediation conducted over the last days and hours in coordination with the co-presidents of the Minsk group
".
“
This ceasefire must be unconditional and strictly respected by both parties.
France will be very attentive to this and will remain committed so that hostilities cease on a lasting basis and that credible discussions can quickly begin,
”adds the French presidency.
(With
AFP
)
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Armenia
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