Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of violating the Russian-based ceasefire agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, which aims to end the worst hostilities in the divided region in 25 years.
The ceasefire stalled after the Moscow Marathon talks advocated by President Vladimir Putin, with the aim of stopping the fighting to allow Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri The Armenian ethnic forces of the army exchange prisoners and war dead.
The Moscow talks were the first diplomatic contact since the battle for mountain enclaves broke out on September 27, and hundreds of people were killed.
Read more: Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan “liberated” several towns and villages from Armenia
The enclave is part of Azerbaijan internationally, but is inhabited and managed by Armenians.
Within minutes of the truce took effect at noon, the two sides accused each other of breaking the truce.
The Armenian Ministry of Defense accused Azerbaijan of shelling a settlement in Armenia, while the Armenian National Forces in Karabakh claimed that the Azerbaijani forces launched a new offensive five minutes after the ceasefire was reached and killed two civilians.
Azerbaijan stated that enemy troops in Karabakh were shelling Azerbaijani territory and a civilian was killed. The two sides have consistently denied each other’s claims, which has also become a war of words with the fighting.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told the Russian RBC news media that the warring parties are currently working hard to find a political solution, but hinted that there will be further fighting in the future.
He said: “We will come to the end and get what should belong to us.”
Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, stated that the truce will only last until the Red Cross arranges for the dead to exchange fire.
He said at a briefing in Baku that Azerbaijan hopes and expects to control more territory in time.
The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is using all diplomatic channels to support the truce, while the Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Azerbaijan of using ceasefire negotiations to cover up existing military operations.
