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WORLD NEWS Monday 19 october 2020

Armenia, Azerbaijan blame each other for truce violations

By AVET DEMOURIAN ing from around the globe. the border, a claim Arme-
Associated Press It also raises the specter of nian military officials de-
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — a wider conflict that could nied. The Azerbaijani mili-
Despite a second attempt draw in Russia and Turkey tary also said it downed an
at a cease-fire, Armenia and threaten Caspian Sea Armenian Su-25 warplane
and Azerbaijan traded ac- energy exports. "attempting to inflict air-
cusations Sunday of violat- Armenian military officials strikes on the positions of
ing the new truce in their on Sunday reported artillery the Azerbaijan army in the
destructive conflict over shelling and missile strikes Jabrayil direction," but Ste-
the separatist region of Na- by Azerbaijani forces in the panian dismissed the state-
gorno-Karabakh. conflict zone overnight. In ment as untrue.
The latest truce, which was the morning, "the enemy Nagorno-Karabakh lies
announced Saturday and launched an attack in the within Azerbaijan but has
took force at midnight, was southern direction," and been under the control of
the second attempt to es- there were "casualties and ethnic Armenian forces A view of a house destroyed by shelling during a military conflict
tablish a cease-fire since wounded on both sides," backed by Armenia since in Stepanakert in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh,
heavy fighting between Armenian Defense Minis- a war there ended in 1994. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.
Armenian and Azerbaijani try spokeswoman Shushan According to Nagorno- Associated Press
forces broke out in Nago- Stepanian said. Karabakh officials, 673 with the initial cease-fire them to abide by the Mos-
rno-Karabakh on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan's Defense Min- of their servicemen have agreement. But the deal cow deal.
The fighting and shelling istry, in turn, maintained been killed in the renewed frayed immediately after But several hours after the
has killed hundreds of peo- that Armenian forces used fighting. Azerbaijan hasn't the truce took effect last truce took force at mid-
ple — both combatants mortars and artillery in the disclosed its military losses, Saturday, with both sides night, both sides started
and civilians — and marks conflict zone overnight but says 60 civilians have blaming each other for accusing each other of
the biggest escalation of a despite the cease-fire and died so far and 270 have breaching it. breaching the agreement.
decades-old conflict over in the morning attempted been wounded. The new cease-fire agree- Later Sunday, Armenia
the region in more than a attacks in several direc- Russia, which has a security ment was announced a and Azerbaijan reiterated
quarter-century. tions. The ministry accused pact with Armenia but has week later on Saturday, fol- their commitments to the
The fighting, involving Armenia of using large-cal- cultivated warm ties with lowing Russian Foreign Min- cease-fire in statements is-
heavy artillery, rockets and iber weapons to attack the Azerbaijan, hosted top dip- ister Sergey Lavrov's calls sued by their foreign min-
drones, has continued de- positions of the Azerbaijani lomats from both countries with his counterparts from istries, and laid the blame
spite repeated calls for army in two regions north of last week for more than 10 Armenia and Azerbaijan, for the breaches on each
cessation of hostilities com- Nagorno-Karabakh along hours of talks that ended in which he strongly urged other. q