Third Ceasefire Attempt in Karabakh Collapses

Date: 26 October 2020 - 21:42

News ID: ۸۴۱۸۲

BAKU/YEREVAN (Dispatches) -- A third attempt at halting weeks of fighting over Karabakh collapsed quickly on Monday with Armenia and Azerbaijan trading accusations of violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire within minutes.
As fighting over the Azerbaijani region enters its second month, international mediators are scrambling to bring a stop to frontline clashes and shelling of civilian areas that have left hundreds dead.
The latest "humanitarian ceasefire” was announced by Washington on Sunday, after truces brokered by Russia and France fell apart over previous weekends.
It took less than an hour after the ceasefire was due to begin at 8:00 am (0400 GMT) for the first accusations to be made.
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said Armenian forces had shelled the town of Terter and nearby villages in "gross violation” of the truce.
Armenia’s defense ministry said Azerbaijani forces had violated the truce with artillery fire on combat positions in various parts of the frontline.
Karabakh’s separatist forces claimed Azerbaijan was continuing to shell civilian areas and had fired missiles at a village in its Martuni district. Correspondents on the ground, however, reported a calm night in Khankendi which Armenians call Stepanakert.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a bitter conflict over Karabakh since Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized control of the mountainous province in a 1990s war that left 30,000 people dead.
Karabakh’s self-declared secession has not been recognized internationally, even by Armenia, and it remains a part of Azerbaijan under international law. The current fighting broke out on September 27.
In an address to the nation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Armenia had "immediately violated” the ceasefire on Monday. "I have ordered our military to show restraint and not give in to provocation,” Aliyev said.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Twitter that "despite several provocations, the ceasefire is being maintained. "The Armenian side will continue to strictly adhere to the ceasefire regime,” he said.
After coming under heavy shelling at the start of the fighting, the main city of Khankendi has been quieter in recent days.
AFP journalists in the city on Monday said the night had been calm. There were fewer sounds of fighting coming from the frontline on Monday morning than in previous days, though rounds of shelling could be heard in the distance.
More than 1,000 people have been reported dead in the fighting, mainly Armenian separatists but also dozens of civilians. Azerbaijan has not released any figures on its military casualties.
Russia, France and the United States are leaders of the "Minsk Group” which has failed since the 1990s to bring about a negotiated settlement to the conflict.