Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted diplomatic sources that the Security Council will hold an open session today, Thursday, to discuss the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh border region.
Yesterday evening, Wednesday, Armenia announced a cease-fire from eight in the evening local time, after clashes that continued for two days.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also called on the parties to the conflict to adhere to the ceasefire, and the Kremlin stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss today with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, the historic capital of Uzbekistan.
The Commander of the Combined Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) also confirmed that the organization does not intend to send troops to Armenia, and that it supports a peaceful solution between Yerevan and Baku.
military assistance
The Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had said earlier that 105 soldiers of his country were killed in clashes with Azerbaijan during the battles, accusing Azerbaijan of "occupying" 10 square kilometers, adding to the 40 square kilometers that Baku seized last May.
The Armenian official said - in a speech to his country's parliament - that he had requested military assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization under Article 4 of the Defense Agreement, and that he might declare martial law if the situation at the border further deteriorated.
For its part, Azerbaijan offered yesterday, Wednesday, to hand over the bodies of 100 Armenian soldiers it said were killed in the clashes that erupted last Monday evening, and the Azerbaijani Prisoners of War Committee said in a statement, "Azerbaijan calls for a ceasefire and is ready to unilaterally hand over the bodies of 100 soldiers to Armenia." .
The two sides exchanged accusations of launching new attacks in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and violating a truce brokered by Russia, but it did not last long. The confrontations between the Azerbaijani and Armenian forces are the most intense since the war between the two sides in 2020.
In a related context, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the situation resulting from Armenia's violation of the agreement concluded with Azerbaijan after the 2020 war cannot be accepted.
Erdogan added - during a public speech in the capital, Ankara - that Armenia must bear the consequences of its aggressive stance towards Azerbaijan.
In turn, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar discussed with his Azerbaijani counterpart Zakir Hasanov - in a phone call today, Thursday - the latest developments on the border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and Akar stressed Turkey's solidarity with Azerbaijan and its people.
American concern
In turn, Washington expressed its concern over the continued escalation on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and urged the two countries to stop hostilities and engage in dialogue.
We have made clear to leaders of both countries at all levels that there is no military solution to this conflict, and we urge both sides to stop military hostilities and engage in dialogue and diplomacy," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict for decades over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which historically included a majority of the Armenian population, but was a legal part of Azerbaijan under the rule of the Soviets. Artsakh Republic, sparking a 3-year war.
The war ended in 1994 with the victory of Armenia, and Karabakh remained under de facto Armenian control for a quarter of a century, although its status was never internationally recognized. After decades of stalemate, Azerbaijan regained large parts of this region during a military campaign in 2020, forcing Armenia to make concessions Great regional.