Armenia denies targeting Ganja; both sides accuse each other of violating ceasefire brokered by Russia.
At least nine people have been killed in overnight Armenian bombardment in Azerbaijan’s second city of Ganja, the Azeri Prosecutor General’s Office said, less than 24 hours after a ceasefire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory was agreed.
The Russia-brokered truce, put in place after marathon talks in Moscow between both sides, was meant to halt fighting to allow ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces to swap prisoners and war dead.
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Nagorno-Karabakh dispute: Armenia, Azerbaijan standoff explained
Armenia, Azerbaijan accuse each other of violating ceasefire
Both sides accused each other of violating the terms of the truce merely minutes after it came into effect. Armenia has denied targeting Ganja, and accused Azeri forces of shelling Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert, as well as other towns during the night in violation of the truce.
This is Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the latest developments of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Here are the latest updates:
12:00 GMT – Turkey tells Russia to press Armenia to abide by truce
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has asked his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to press Armenia to abide by the terms of a Russian-brokered truce in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Turkish foreign ministry said.
In a statement, Turkey’s foreign ministry strongly condemned an Armenian missile attack on Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second city, on Sunday morning. Turkey is a close ally of Azerbaijan.
The attack that targeted an apartment building, killing nine civilians is “a new example of provocations by the Armenian administration to spread the conflict beyond the occupied Azerbaijani territories,” the statement said.
11:45 GMT – Pope deplores ‘fragile truce’ in Karabakh
Pope Francis deplored Sunday a fragile truce between warring neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and said he was praying for victims there.
Speaking after the Angelus prayer in Rome, the pontiff welcomed the ceasefire, but added: “The truce proves to be too fragile,” the Vatican news service said.
Francis urged regional leaders to resolve the conflict “not through the use of force and arms, but through the means of dialogue and negotiation,” it added.
11:35 GMT – Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is ushering in a new age of warfare
Armenia and Azerbaijan, traditional enemies, have been building up their armed forces over the last decade.
Drones, sensors and long-range weapons have given one side a clear edge in the conflict between the two countries.
Read more here.
10:57 GMT – Russia has important role to play in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Vladimir Sotnikov, an analyst with the Russian Academy of Sciences, has told Al Jazeera that Moscow has the influence to not only broker a ceasefire but also getting Azerbaijan and Armenia to agree to a peaceful settlement.
“Russia managed to get both sides to the negotiating table, which is a critical step [that led to] a ceasefire and substantive agreement,” said Sotnikov, speaking from Moscow.
“But the second critical step would be when both parties under Russian mediation would agree to continue negotiations to reach a settlement. ”
10:28 GMT – Nagorno-Karabkh official: Armenians ‘surprised’ by Turkey’s open support for Azerbaijan David Babayan, the adviser to Nagorno-Karabakh’s President Arayik Harutyunyan, told Al Jazeera the ethnic Armenians in the disputed territory are surprised by Turkey’s public support for Azerbaijan.
“If there is direct involvement of Turkey – and I don’t see that Turkey will pull out of the region – it means that somehow we need to change some geopolitical approach to our state and further strengthen our relations with brother countries, like Russia, United States, Iran and China,” Babayan said.
Turkey has vowed to support longtime ally Azerbaijan “on the battlefield or the negotiating table,” if needed. However, the Turkish government has denied Armenian claims that it is sending Syrian fighters and F-16 combat jets to assist Azeri forces.
09:15 GMT – Infographic: Military arsenals of Armenia and Azerbaijan
The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region is recognised under international law as part of Azerbaijan. However, ethnic Armenians who form the majority of the population in Nagorno-Karabakh, reject Azerbaijani rule. It broke away from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s but no country recognises the region as an independent republic.
Heavy fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh has prompted fears the dispute could spiral once again into all-out war, as the United Nations called for an immediate ceasefire.
See here what the armies of Armenia and Azerbaijan have at their disposal, and how much money these two countries are investing in their defence sectors.
08:45 GMT – Armenians in Argentina decry Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Hundreds of people from Argentina’s Armenian community demonstrated Saturday in Buenos Aires, calling for an end to fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh.
They marched from the Azerbaijan embassy and gathered in front of Turkey’s embassy, which has been accused of military support for Azerbaijan in the conflict. Ankara denies the charge.
Diana Dergarabetian, a second-generation Argentinian-Armenian, lamented shelling in the region.
“The losses are deplorable on both sides,” she told AFP. “This struggle is not against the people of Azerbaijan. The Armenian people are defending their right to self-determination.”
08:15 GMT – Karabakh leader says situation ‘calmer’ but truce fragile
The leader of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region said hostilities with Azerbaijan have reduced on the second day of the ceasefire, but that the truce was precarious.
“It seems that since this morning it is calmer, but that can change very quickly,” Arayik Harutyunyan told journalists in the regional capital Stepanakert.
08:00 GMT – No casualties in overnight shelling of Stepanakert Overnight shelling in the administrative city of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert, resulted in no casualties, with residents saying the second day of the ceasefire has been much quieter.
“The ceasefire [was]
At least nine people have been killed in overnight Armenian bombardment in Azerbaijan’s second city of Ganja, the Azeri Prosecutor General’s Office said, less than 24 hours after a ceasefire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory was agreed.
The Russia-brokered truce, put in place after marathon talks in Moscow between both sides, was meant to halt fighting to allow ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces to swap prisoners and war dead.
Both sides accused each other of violating the terms of the truce merely minutes after it came into effect. Armenia has denied targeting Ganja, and accused Azeri forces of shelling Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert, as well as other towns during the night in violation of the truce.
This is Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the latest developments of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Here are the latest updates:
Sunday, October 11th
12:00 GMT – Turkey tells Russia to press Armenia to abide by truce
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has asked his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to press Armenia to abide by the terms of a Russian-brokered truce in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Turkish foreign ministry said.
In a statement, Turkey’s foreign ministry strongly condemned an Armenian missile attack on Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second city, on Sunday morning. Turkey is a close ally of Azerbaijan.
The attack that targeted an apartment building, killing nine civilians is “a new example of provocations by the Armenian administration to spread the conflict beyond the occupied Azerbaijani territories,” the statement said.
11:45 GMT – Pope deplores ‘fragile truce’ in Karabakh
Pope Francis deplored Sunday a fragile truce between warring neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and said he was praying for victims there.
Speaking after the Angelus prayer in Rome, the pontiff welcomed the ceasefire, but added: “The truce proves to be too fragile,” the Vatican news service said.
Francis urged regional leaders to resolve the conflict “not through the use of force and arms, but through the means of dialogue and negotiation,” it added.
11:35 GMT – Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is ushering in a new age of warfare
Armenia and Azerbaijan, traditional enemies, have been building up their armed forces over the last decade.
Drones, sensors and long-range weapons have given one side a clear edge in the conflict between the two countries.
Read more here.
10:57 GMT – Russia has important role to play in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Vladimir Sotnikov, an analyst with the Russian Academy of Sciences, has told Al Jazeera that Moscow has the influence to not only broker a ceasefire but also getting Azerbaijan and Armenia to agree to a peaceful settlement.
“Russia managed to get both sides to the negotiating table, which is a critical step [that led to] a ceasefire and substantive agreement,” said Sotnikov, speaking from Moscow.
“But the second critical step would be when both parties under Russian mediation would agree to continue negotiations to reach a settlement. ”
10:28 GMT – Nagorno-Karabkh official: Armenians ‘surprised’ by Turkey’s open support for Azerbaijan
David Babayan, the adviser to Nagorno-Karabakh’s President Arayik Harutyunyan, told Al Jazeera the ethnic Armenians in the disputed territory are surprised by Turkey’s public support for Azerbaijan.
“If there is direct involvement of Turkey – and I don’t see that Turkey will pull out of the region – it means that somehow we need to change some geopolitical approach to our state and further strengthen our relations with brother countries, like Russia, United States, Iran and China,” Babayan said.
Turkey has vowed to support longtime ally Azerbaijan “on the battlefield or the negotiating table,” if needed. However, the Turkish government has denied Armenian claims that it is sending Syrian fighters and F-16 combat jets to assist Azeri forces.
09:15 GMT – Infographic: Military arsenals of Armenia and Azerbaijan
The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region is recognised under international law as part of Azerbaijan. However, ethnic Armenians who form the majority of the population in Nagorno-Karabakh, reject Azerbaijani rule. It broke away from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s but no country recognises the region as an independent republic.
Heavy fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh has prompted fears the dispute could spiral once again into all-out war, as the United Nations called for an immediate ceasefire.
See here what the armies of Armenia and Azerbaijan have at their disposal, and how much money these two countries are investing in their defence sectors.
08:45 GMT – Armenians in Argentina decry Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Hundreds of people from Argentina’s Armenian community demonstrated Saturday in Buenos Aires, calling for an end to fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh.
They marched from the Azerbaijan embassy and gathered in front of Turkey’s embassy, which has been accused of military support for Azerbaijan in the conflict. Ankara denies the charge.
Diana Dergarabetian, a second-generation Argentinian-Armenian, lamented shelling in the region.
“The losses are deplorable on both sides,” she told AFP. “This struggle is not against the people of Azerbaijan. The Armenian people are defending their right to self-determination.”
08:15 GMT – Karabakh leader says situation ‘calmer’ but truce fragile
The leader of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region said hostilities with Azerbaijan have reduced on the second day of the ceasefire, but that the truce was precarious.
“It seems that since this morning it is calmer, but that can change very quickly,” Arayik Harutyunyan told journalists in the regional capital Stepanakert.
08:00 GMT – No casualties in overnight shelling of Stepanakert
Overnight shelling in the administrative city of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert, resulted in no casualties, with residents saying the second day of the ceasefire has been much quieter.
“The ceasefire [was] wobbling heavily overnight but is quieter it seems this morning,” said Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, speaking from the Armenian town of Goris.
Residents of Stepanakert welcomed the truce, but warned against a temporary fixture.
“A ceasefire is certainly good, but the problem must be solved,” said Boris Grigoryan, a barber.
“You can’t have a ceasefire and several years later, a war again. A ceasefire must solve the problem that is our independence.”
07:40 GMT – Death toll expected to rise in Ganja, says Al Jazeera correspondent
The targeting of a building in Ganja has resulted in the injury of more than 40 people, including at least 10 children, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said.
Speaking from the site where seven people have been killed, Koseoglu said the search and rescue teams are digging through the rubble and are expecting to find more bodies.
“The impact of the explosion is very wide,” she said. “We heard from the officials that this is a ballistic missile that hit the area. The diameter of the explosion area from where the missile hit is more than 10 metres deep.”
Koseoglu added that the Azeri industrial city of Mingecevir was also targeted by “two ballistic missiles around 4am local time”.
“The ceasefire seems to be totally violated and out of order. Citizens of Azerbaijan are not happy with the ceasefire because they have lost many civilians and military personnel in the conflict.”
06:30 GMT – Armenian shelling leaves seven dead: Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan said on Sunday that shelling by Armenian forces on the country’s second-largest city had left seven people dead, a day after a ceasefire between the two sides had been due to take effect.
A “new nightly missile attack by Armenian forces on (a) residential area of Ganja,” left seven dead and 33 wounded including children, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
The defence ministry in the breakaway region said Armenian forces were respecting the ceasefire and in turn accused Azerbaijan of shelling civilian areas.
Reports of “Karabakh forces shelling Ganja is an absolute lie”, it added.
heavily overnight but is quieter it seems this morning,” said Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, speaking from the Armenian town of Goris.
Residents of Stepanakert welcomed the truce, but warned against a temporary fixture.
“A ceasefire is certainly good, but the problem must be solved,” said Boris Grigoryan, a barber.
“You can’t have a ceasefire and several years later, a war again. A ceasefire must solve the problem that is our independence.”
07:40 GMT – Death toll expected to rise in Ganja, says Al Jazeera correspondent
The targeting of a building in Ganja has resulted in the injury of more than 40 people, including at least 10 children, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said.
Speaking from the site where seven people have been killed, Koseoglu said the search and rescue teams are digging through the rubble and are expecting to find more bodies.
“The impact of the explosion is very wide,” she said. “We heard from the officials that this is a ballistic missile that hit the area. The diameter of the explosion area from where the missile hit is more than 10 metres deep.”
Koseoglu added that the Azeri industrial city of Mingecevir was also targeted by “two ballistic missiles around 4am local time”.
“The ceasefire seems to be totally violated and out of order. Citizens of Azerbaijan are not happy with the ceasefire because they have lost many civilians and military personnel in the conflict.”
06:30 GMT – Armenian shelling leaves seven dead: Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan said on Sunday that shelling by Armenian forces on the country’s second-largest city had left seven people dead, a day after a ceasefire between the two sides had been due to take effect.
A “new nightly missile attack by Armenian forces on (a) residential area of Ganja,” left seven dead and 33 wounded including children, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
The defence ministry in the breakaway region said Armenian forces were respecting the ceasefire and in turn accused Azerbaijan of shelling civilian areas.
Reports of “Karabakh forces shelling Ganja is an absolute lie”, it added.