YEREVAN, Oct 2 – Novosti. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan discussed in Geneva with the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and on the issue of the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar the settlement of the conflict in Karabakh and relations with Azerbaijan, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported .
“During the meeting, issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan were discussed,” the Foreign Ministry’s website says.
It is noted that Mirzoyan called “the elimination of the consequences of the latest Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia” an imperative, in particular, emphasizing “the need for the withdrawal of the armed forces of Azerbaijan from the sovereign territories of Armenia, the immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war illegally held in Azerbaijan” and “unconditional observance of the ceasefire.”
“Mirzoyan strongly condemned the gross violations of international law and war crimes committed by the armed forces of Azerbaijan, in particular the deliberate shelling of the civilian population and infrastructure, inhuman torture and extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners of war, and stressed that the perpetrators must be held accountable, including through the application of sanctions” , the message says.
On the night of September 13, hostilities broke out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the parties accused each other of starting the escalation. Yerevan stated that the Azerbaijani military fired at the border territories of Armenia – Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, Syunik regions (connects Armenia with Iran ) using artillery and drones. These territories have nothing to do with Karabakh. Baku stated that the Armenian military fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani troops on the border, there was a clash . The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry accused Armenia of intending to disrupt the peace process. Both sides reported casualties among their military.
By morning, the parties agreed on a ceasefire. As the head of the international committee of the Federation Council Grigory Karasin told Novosti , a truce on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan was achieved thanks to the efforts of Russia – including after the conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the work of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Collective Security Council of the CSTO reached an agreement to send a mission to Armenia headed by the organization’s Secretary General Stanislav Zas.
