Who is right in Nagorno-Karabakh? (Armenia or Azerbaijan?)

The two Russians injured during the shelling of Nagorno-Karabakh town of Shushi - Levon Arzanov and Grant Baladyan - took off to Moscow via the Rossiya Special Flight Detachment plane.

Meeting of Russian, Armenian, Azerbaijani foreign ministers begins in Moscow
The talks on Nagorno-Karabakh are taking place in the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Reception House

Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh region starting Saturday noon, following lengthy negotiations in Moscow on Friday night.

On early Saturday morning, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the deal was announced in a joint statement by Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"The specific parameters of the ceasefire regime will be agreed upon additionally," the statement read.

In accordance with the deal, Armenia and Azerbaijan will exchange prisoners, other detained persons, and bodies of the dead under the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The countries agreed to begin "substantive negotiations" for a peaceful settlement as soon as possible under the mediation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Minsk Group co-chairs.

The parties have also confirmed the invariability of the negotiations format.

The deal was reached in accordance with what Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have agreed upon, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Moscow has repeatedly urged a ceasefire and a political settlement of the differences. The closed-door meeting of the three foreign ministers lasted about 10 hours, marking the longest one on Nagorno-Karabakh over the past two decades.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988. Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a ceasefire was reached, but there have been sporadic minor clashes.

A new round of armed conflict broke out on Sept. 27 along the contact line of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The clashes have reportedly caused heavy casualties and equipment losses.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone conversation on Sunday highlighted the need to fully comply with all provisions of a joint statement issued by the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian top diplomats on October 10, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"During the conversation the sides exchanged views on the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone developing after the trilateral talks in Moscow on October 9-10," the ministry stated.

The two foreign ministers emphasized the need to "fully comply with all provisions of a joint statement of the foreign ministers of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia on October 10."

Besides, during the phone conversation held at Turkey’s initiative, Lavrov confirmed Moscow’s readiness to continue active mediation efforts aimed at achieving the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement "in accordance with the provisions of the Moscow statement."

At the talks, brokered by Russia and held in Moscow on October 9, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed a ceasefire. It came into effect at 12.00 local time on October 10 for humanitarian reasons in order to exchange detainees and the bodies of those killed in the fighting. Shortly after noon the sides traded blame for violating the ceasefire agreement.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States.

"Turkey has the same right to take part in the peace process on Karabakh as Russia. Azerbaijan’s demand is quite fair. Once Armenia invites Russia [to take part in the peace settlement], Azerbaijan suggests Turkey should also join it. I have heard no negative reaction from Russia [on that matter]," Erdogan said.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States.

Fighting has continued on Sunday between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces over the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh with both sides blaming each other for blocking a peaceful settlement to the conflict.

Armenia accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling civilian settlements on Sunday, a claim that Baku denied.

Azerbaijan said it was ready to implement a ceasefire provided Armenia withdrew its forces.

The clashes yesterday and today in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians, came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosted foreign ministers of both countries in a new peace push on Friday.

The collapse of two Russia-brokered truces had already dimmed the prospect of a quick end to fighting that broke out on September 27 over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Blame game
Officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Azerbaijani forces fired artillery on settlements in Askeran and Martuni in the night, while

Azerbaijan said its positions had been attacked with small arms, mortars, tanks, and howitzers.

“I am absolutely confident in the effectiveness of the peace negotiations but this also depends on the will of the Armenian side to take part in them,” said Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

“Why can Azerbaijani and Armenian people live together in Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and other countries but not in Nagorno Karabakh?” he added in a Fox News interview reprinted by the Azertag News Agency.

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian accused Baku of being “aggressively stubborn and destructive”.

On Sunday, the defence ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh region said it had recorded another 11 casualties among its forces, pushing the military death toll to 974 since fighting with Azeri forces erupted.

World powers want to prevent a wider war that draws in Turkey, which has voiced strong support for Azerbaijan, and Russia, which has a defence pact with Armenia.

Differences over the conflict have further strained relations between Ankara and its NATO allies, with Pompeo accusing Turkey of fuelling the conflict by arming the Azerbaijani side. Ankara denies it has inflamed the conflict.