Armenia said it is prepared to take them in after Azerbaijan’s military victory last week in a conflict dating to the fall of the Soviet Union.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Sunday that he expected about 120,000 civilians in the region in the South Caucasus to leave for Armenia because they do not want to live in a part of Azerbaijan and fear “the danger of ethnic cleansing”.

“The likelihood is increasing that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh will see expulsion from their homeland as the only way out,” he said.

Armenia “will lovingly welcome our brothers and sisters from Nagorno-Karabakh”, Pashinyan added, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

The Armenian leader also alluded to a schism with Moscow, saying the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) was “insufficient” to protect the country.

The CSTO members pledge to defend one another from outside attacks. But, bogged down in its own war in Ukraine, Russia has refused to come to Armenia’s assistance.

The fate of the ethnic Armenian population, which makes up the majority of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population, has raised concerns in Moscow, Washington and Brussels.

Separatist fighters from Nagorno-Karabakh – a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but previously governed by the breakaway Republic of Artsakh – were forced to declare a ceasefire on Wednesday after a decisive 24-hour military operation by the much larger Azerbaijani military.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared victory over the enclave on Thursday, saying it was fully under Baku’s control and the idea of an independent Nagorno-Karabakh was finally confined to history.

He promised to guarantee the rights and security of Armenians living in the region, but years of hate speech and violence between the rivals have left deep scars. Azerbaijan, which is mainly Muslim, has said the Armenians, who are Christian, can leave if they want.

Vehicles seized from Nagorno-Karabakh forces are displayed at a position held by Azerbaijan’s military [Emmanuel Dunand/AFP]

‘Disgrace and a shame’

Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh to Armenians, lies in an area that, over the centuries, has come under the sway of Persians, Turks, Russians, Ottomans and the Soviets. It was claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia after the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917.

Azerbaijan has said it will guarantee rights and integrate the region, but the Armenians have said they fear repression.

“Our people do not want to live as part of Azerbaijan – 99.9 percent prefer to leave our historic lands,” said David Babayan, an adviser to the Karabakh leadership. “The fate of our poor people will go down in history as a disgrace and a shame for the Armenian people.”

Hikmet Hajiyev, the foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijan’s president, told Al Jazeera that civilians in the region have been asked for a “direct dialogue” about their future, “including political integration [and] socioeconomic issues”.

‘Very much in danger’

Sheila Paylan, an international human rights lawyer, said she does not believe ethnic Armenians will be treated fairly under Azerbaijani rule.

“There is a long-standing policy of hatred towards the Armenians that goes back decades. That just doesn’t stop overnight. There’s no reasonable basis to trust there will be any safety or security or rights protected for the Armenians of Karabakh … They are very much in danger right now,” Paylan told Al Jazeera.

Armenia has called for the immediate deployment of a United Nations mission to monitor human rights and security in Nagorno-Karabakh.

A months-long blockade by Azerbaijani forces has left many in Nagorno-Karabakh without food and fuel.

Armenian authorities said about 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid from Russia and another 65 tonnes of flour shipped by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Given the scale of humanitarian needs, we are increasing our presence there with specialized personnel in health, forensics, protection, and weapons contamination,” the ICRC said in a statement.

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Trade relations between Iran and Armenia have witnessed a 43% growth in recent months, said President Raeisi, adding that the goal is to increase trade relations up to $3 billion.

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“The special representatives reaffirmed the declared goal of achieving full normalization between their respective countries through this process,” the ministry said in a statement following the third meeting of Turkish and Armenian envoys in the Austrian capital Vienna.

The envoys discussed the possible steps that can be taken for the tangible progress in normalization, the statement added.

Turkiye’s Ambassador Serdar Kilic and Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Ruben Rubinyan “reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions,” it added.

Kilic was named as Turkiye’s special envoy to discuss steps towards normalization with neighboring Armenia on Dec. 15, 2021. Three days later, Armenia appointed its own special representative Rubinyan.

The first round of talks was held in Russia’s capital Moscow on Jan. 14, where both parties agreed to continue negotiations without any preconditions. Turkish and Armenian envoys met for the second time in Vienna on Feb. 24.

Also, a historic bilateral meeting took place between the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye on March 12.

As part of the efforts, Turkiye and Armenia have also resumed commercial flights as of Feb. 2 after a two-year hiatus.

The two countries have been divided on a range of issues, including the 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire and Armenia’s occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh in 1993, since when the land border between Turkiye and Armenia has been closed.

On Oct. 10, 2009, the two neighboring countries signed a peace accord, known as the Zurich Protocols, to establish diplomatic relations and open the border, but failed to ratify the agreement in their respective national parliaments.

Relations between Ankara and Yerevan entered a new phase in the fall of 2020 with the end of the second Nagorno-Karabakh war, which lasted 44 days in which Turkiye helped Azerbaijan recapture its territory.

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After talks with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, Cavusoglu said that Azerbaijan also ‘supports the process of normalization.

Armenia and Turkey have no diplomatic relations, a closed land border and a deep-seated hostility rooted in the mass killing of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

But in December, the two countries appointed special envoys to normalize relations, spurred by support from regional powerbroker Russia and Armenia’s arch-foe Azerbaijan.

The push came a year after Azerbaijan used the help of Turkish combat drones to recapture most of the territory it lost to ethnic Armenians in a 1990s war in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A Russian-brokered truce that ended the second conflict removed Turkey’s main objection to talking to Armenia — namely, Yerevan’s support for the local Nagorno-Karabakh government’s claim of independence from Azerbaijan.

The first commercial flights for two years resumed in early February between Turkey and Armenia, but the land border between the two countries has remained closed since 1993, forcing trucks to transit through Georgia or Iran.

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Representatives from Turkey and Armenia are due to meet in Moscow next month as officials on both sides hinted at a thaw.

The border between the two countries has been closed since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.

In a post on Facebook, Armenia’s economy ministry said it was lifting the ban imposed on Turkish imports during last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh war because it had contributed to inflation within Armenia.

The statement added it expected Turkey to lift a reciprocal ban shortly: “The removal of the ban on imports of Turkish goods is expected to create more favorable conditions for the export of Armenian goods.”

Authorities have also granted low-cost airline Flyone Armenia permission to operate flights between Yerevan and Istanbul. Turkish carrier Pegasus Airlines is also understood to consider a new route between the two cities.

First talks since 2009

“We understand that Russia wants to host the first meeting between our envoys,” Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told 24 TV on Thursday. “Armenia, from what we gather, also wants this first meeting to be in Moscow.

“If it is to be a third country, it does not matter for us whether it is Moscow or another country, but because Russia has made efforts in this area we welcome the idea of a meeting in Moscow.” The announcements come as the two countries prepare for their first direct talks since 2009.

Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Armenian independence, but diplomatic ties were never established because it has long supported neighboring Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over the contested territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Previous Armenian governments have also demanded Turkey recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide before diplomatic relations can be established.

But ministers under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have indicated they want to hold talks with Turkish officials without preconditions.

Ruben Rubinyan, a deputy speaker of Armenia’s parliament, will represent his country in the Moscow talks. Turkey’s envoy will be Serdar Kılıç, a former ambassador to the United States.

Nagorno-Karabakh war

The two countries previously reached a deal to establish diplomatic relations and open their border in 2009.

But it was never ratified after Turkey demanded an Armenian withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh, which it largely occupied at the time.

Armenia lost control of most of the territory in a six-week war last year with Azerbaijan, which Turkey supported militarily.

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Back in May, soldiers filmed themselves overrunning enemy outposts shouting in broken Russian at their opponents to leave, orchestrated with kicks to backsides, punches or volleys from assault rifles fired into the air.

In picturesque alpine meadows, platoons of Armenian and Azeri troops faced off, often just a few meters apart. It was a tinderbox that burst into flames on the afternoon of November 16.

While there is no independently verifiable information, military sources and local media reported a full-scale battle for several hours along a stretch of border between Azerbaijan and Armenia on or near Mount Ishkhanasar.

Both sides have reported casualties; Armenia said at least six soldiers were killed, while Azerbaijan announced the deaths of at least seven troops.

Mobile footage shows an Azerbaijani artillery unit bombarding Armenian positions. Armenia’s Ministry of Defence released a video of Azerbaijani armored vehicles being struck by guided weapons.

A harrowing video shot at night in a blizzard appears to show Azerbaijani soldiers beating uniformed Armenian regulars on the ground.

This is Armenia and Azerbaijan’s new conflict: for control of disputed borders defined by Soviet cartographers.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Until the last year’s war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, those borders were buffered by territories inside Azerbaijan under de facto Armenian control since the 1990s.

But with Azerbaijan’s military victory and the recapturing of almost all of its lost territories, the border areas between Armenia’s Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces, and Azerbaijan’s newly established East Zangezur region have become militarized front lines.

Olesya Vartanyan, a senior analyst with the Brussels-headquartered International Crisis Group, said that in the mountainous terrain, both armies are keen to establish positions on the best available ground.

“The current daily problem is that troops of opposite sides do not have communication with each other. The same is between Azerbaijani and Armenian Joint Staffs. When one side observes several big trucks with soldiers, he right away suspects possible preparations for an assault. There is no way to check before starting an attack.”

Syunik Province separates Azerbaijan from its exclave, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, in some places by less than 40km (25 miles).

Crucially, roads that connect Armenian towns and villages in Syunik run through Azerbaijani territory, and here Azerbaijani forces have established checkpoints.

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has accused Azerbaijan of a deliberate policy of isolation, describing the nearly impassible alternative routes villagers have been forced to take. School children and teachers have been unable to get to school.

“The blockade of the Goris-Kapan road or the so-called Azerbaijani border and customs checkpoints will cause violations of the rights of the civilian population and severe humanitarian issues, including the isolation of a number of civilian communities,” Tatoyan told Armenian media.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a decades-old dispute over 
Nagorno-Karabakh [File: Artem Mikryukov/Reuters]

While Azerbaijan maintains that Armenia provoked the latest fighting, geolocation of some of the footage recorded since Tuesday strongly indicates incursions by Azerbaijani armed forces inside Armenia proper.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed on Tuesday that since May, 41 square kilometers (15 square miles) of sovereign Armenian territory have been seized by Azerbaijan in the border areas.

Azerbaijan may have a strategy: to pressure Armenia to conclude negotiations following last year’s ceasefire agreement over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Those terms included a commitment by Armenia to allow “unobstructed access” between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Azerbaijan.

Fuad Shahbaz, a military analyst from Baku, says the latest fighting is a result of those negotiations failing to achieve their objectives, including the demarcation of the borders.

“Yerevan is not ready for concessions on a transit route and I guess Baku lost patience. It was hoping to resolve the issue before the winter during a planned November meeting in Moscow which was postponed.”

While Shahbaz believes the opening of a route to Nakhchivan would benefit both Azerbaijan and Armenia by linking up with Turkey, for many Armenians it poses a direct threat to Armenian statehood.

“The Azerbaijan strategic goal is to establish at least de facto control over Syunik province,” says Benyamin Poghosyan, a Yerevan-based political scientist. “President Aliyev of Azerbaijan has stated many times publicly that Syunik province artificially separates the Turkic world spanning from Istanbul to Kazakhstan.”

Russian presence

Russia’s military presence in Armenia is supposed to guarantee Armenian security, and Russian boots on the ground in Karabakh are helping to maintain a fragile peace, albeit with occasional outbreaks of localized violence.

So far, Armenia has not officially requested Russian military intervention as part of its Collective Security Treaty with Moscow. But Moscow can exert influence in a way that no other mediator can.

“It is the only regional power with an actual military presence on the ground and a serious political say with leaders in both capitals. So it’s no surprise that Moscow is succeeding. Especially where the OSCE Minsk Group has been struggling to renew its functions,” said Vartanyan.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, even 
by Armenia, but is populated and until recently was controlled by 
ethnic Armenians [File: Reuters]

The so-called Minsk Group is co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States and was established in 1994 after the first Karabakh war to work for a permanent peace between Armenian and Azerbaijan.

“Only recently the co-chairs found a way to propose an agenda and a format that can satisfy both sides. But they still have a long way to go before conversations that can lead to real change.”

Intervention by Russia’s Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu led to a cessation in the fighting on November 16. For the time being, the guns are silent.

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Demonstrators forced their way into the building in Yerevan on Monday to demand Pashinyan quits, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Social media footage, which Al Jazeera is attempting to verify, showed a few protesters in the building, one with a megaphone, as police watched on.

Monday’s drama comes after thousands participated in rival demonstrations in Yerevan on Thursday; anti-government crowds had called for the premier to resign, while Pashinyan managed to rally many supporters behind him on the streets.

The street protests followed what Pashinyan described as an attempted coup after the army also called for his resignation.

Anger is boiling as critics lament Pashinyan’s management of the bloody six-week conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which killed thousands on both sides and saw swathes of territory ceded to Azerbaijan.

It was ended in November when both sides signed a Russian-brokered peace deal.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, even by Armenia, but has been dominated by ethnic Armenians since the early 1990s.

In response to the military’s demand, Pashinyan dismissed Onik Gasparyan, chief of the army’s General Staff, on Thursday.

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian on Saturday refused to formally approve Gasparyan’s sacking. Sarkissian said the move was unconstitutional and that the army should be kept out of politics.

Pashinyan retorted, saying on Facebook that the president’s decision “doesn’t contribute to the solution of the current situation at all”.

On Saturday, about 15,000 people rallied again in Yerevan seeking Pashinyan’s resignation.

The demonstrations against the 45-year-old had gone dormant for a spell in the depth of Armenia’s winter.

Further rival rallies were expected in Yerevan on Monday.

Pashinyan, who came to power spearheading peaceful protests in 2018, has urged his supporters to gather in the capital’s Republic Square.

The opposition has called its own rally in another area of the city.

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The move came after Azerbaijan said 13 civilians were killed in an Armenian missile attack on its second-biggest city, Ganja. The overnight missile raid also wounded dozens of people in their sleep and destroyed a row of homes.

The Armenian defence ministry denied the claim and accused Baku of continuing to shell populated areas inside Nagorno-Karabakh, including Stepanakert, the region’s biggest city.

Here are the latest updates on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict:

Saturday, October 17

19:31 GMT – Macron says Armenia-Azerbaijan truce must be respected

French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Armenia and Azerbaijan’s agreement to a humanitarian ceasefire from midnight and stressed that it should be strictly respected by both parties.

“This ceasefire must be unconditional and strictly observed by both parties. France will be very attentive to this and will remain committed so that hostilities cease permanently and that credible discussions can quickly begin,” the president’s office said in a statement.

19:05 GMT – Armenia, Azerbaijan announce ‘humanitarian truce’

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire from midnight, the foreign ministries of both countries said in separate statements.

The new agreement was announce following phone calls between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his counterparts. Lavrov strongly urged the countries to abide by a Moscow-brokered that frayed immediately after it took force.

The two sides trade blame for breaching that deal.

“This decision was taken following the statement of the presidents of the French Republic, the Russian Federation and the United States of America, representing the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, of Oct. 1 2020, the Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group of Oct. 5, and in line with the Moscow Statement of Oct. 10,” Armenia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

#Armenia & #Azerbaijan have agreed to humanitarian truce as of October 18th, 00h00 local time. This decision was taken following Oct1 statement of Presidents of @OSCE MGCC countries #France, #Russia & #USA, Oct5 Statement by MGCC Co-Chairs and in line w/ OCT10 #Moscow Statement.

— Anna A. Naghdalyan (@naghdalyan) October 17, 2020

17:47 GMT – Turkic Council condemns Armenia’s attack on Azerbaijan

The Turkic Council said on Twitter: “Bombing civilians is against international humanitarian law. The Turkic Council condemns Armenia’s new arbitrary attacks by ballistic missiles on Ganja & civilians.”

They urged Armenian forces to stop attacking civilians and withdraw their occupying forces from Azerbaijani lands.

Omer Kocaman, deputy secretary general of Turkic Council, said these attacks constitute “war crimes.”

17:01 GMT – Three-year-old loses whole family in Ganja missile attack

A mother and her 16-month-old daughter have been buried in the same grave after a missile attack on the Azerbaijani city of Ganza that killed at least 13 civilians, as fighting intensifies over the disputed of Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Zuleykha Shahnazarova and her daughter Madina Shahnazarli were killed overnight on Saturday, along with the father of the family, Royal Shahnazarov.

The couple’s other daughter, three-year-old Khadija Shahnazarli, survived the attack and was being treated in a hospital in the nearby city of Barda.

A three-year-old survivor of the Ganja attack [Seymur Kazimov/Al Jazeera]

14:02 GMT – Rescue operation still ongoing in Ganja

Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Baku, said the Azeri officials were saying at least two missiles have hit Ganja overnight.

“One hit the southwest entrance of the city and the other one – a bit more towards the city centre where the most number of the civilian casualties happened,” she said.

“The rescue operation is still ongoing as the body of at least one child is still missing.”

12:00 GMT – Azerbaijan says it is advancing into Nagorno Karabakh

Azerbaijan’s defence ministry has claimed its troops have advanced in various directions across the frontline in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Video shared by the ministry purported to shows air strikes on positions of Armenian forces.

In a televised address, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said the town of Fizuli and several other villages in Azerbaijan have been “liberated”, gaining a “strategic edge.”

Fizuli is one of the seven Azerbaijani regions outside Nagorno-Karabakh that was seized by the Armenian forces during the war in the early 1990s.

11:38 GMT – Armenia under ‘intense pressure’ says Al Jazeera correspondent

Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith said Armenia is under pressure for losing control of territories it regarded as the buffer zone between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

“The foreign ministry of Armenia has released a tweet and it says that consistent attempts by Azerbaijan to extend the geography of the conflict, plus irreversibly undermining regional security should be condemned in the strongest terms,” Smith said, speaking from the Armenian town of Vorotan.

“And this is because the leadership of Armenia is under intense pressure. It has lost control of some territory to Azerbaijan, territory that Armenian forces have controlled since the 1994 ceasefire.”

“Armenia is accusing Azerbaijan of taking this territory militarily rather than the negotiations over which both sides agreed to take part in.”

09:30 GMT – Turkey calls attack on Azerbaijani city by Armenia ‘war crime’

Armenia is committing a “war crime” and must be held responsible for its “atrocity,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter.

Armenia still commits war crimes&massacres civilians. Kills innocent people incl. children.Silence against this atrocity equals sharing responsibility of these murders.Those who have no humanity will be held accountable for their crimes.Will always stand by brotherly #Azerbaijan.

— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) October 17, 2020

Hikmat Hajiyev, a foreign policy aide to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said  his country wants a ceasefire.

“We support a humanitarian ceasefire, but Armenia isn’t giving it a chance … they keep targeting residential areas,” Hajiyev said in an online briefing with journalists.

09:00 GMT – Azerbaijan president vows ‘revenge’ after shelling on Ganja

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev vowed to strike back against Armenia after shelling on his country’s second largest city Ganja.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s army would retaliate against Armenia and “take revenge on the battlefield,” in televised remarks hours after the shelling on a residential area in Ganja flattened rows of houses.

08:35 GMT – Ganja official says death toll is 13, including two children

Mushfiq Jafarov, a member of parliament from Ganja, told Al Jazeera stringer Seymur Kazimov that the death toll from the attack on Ganja now stands at 13.

“There are only civilians living here,” he said, adding that two little children were among those killed.

Mushfiq Jafarov, MP from Ganja, speaks from the site of rubble after an alleged 
Armenian attack on the city [Seymur Kazimov/Al Jazeera]

Jafarov said two sites were targeted, with a distance of 5km between them.

“More than 40 are wounded,” he said.

08:20 GMT -Civilians in Ganja decry Armenian attack on their homes

Sevil Aliyeva stands in front of the rubble of her house in Azerbaijan’s second 
city of Ganja [Seymur Kazimov/Al Jazeera]

The attack on Ganja, which has a population of more than 300,000 people, came only six days after a missile struck another residential part of the city, killing 10 civilians and leaving many on edge.

“Fortunately my family and I were not at home,” Sevil Aliyeva told Al Jazeera stringer Seymur Kazimov. “My house is fully destroyed. I do believe the Azerbaijani army will take our revenge from Armenian forces.”

“We were sleeping. The kids were watching TV,” Rubaba Zhafarova, 65, said in front of her destroyed home.

“All the houses around here are destroyed. Many people are under the rubble. Some are dead, some are wounded.”

08:00 GMT – Erdogan tells Trudeau suspension of drone exports is against alliance spirit

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a phone call that Canada’s suspension of the export of some drone technology was not in line with the spirit of alliance, Erdogan’s office said.

Canada suspended the export of some drone technology to Turkey earlier this month as it probes allegations the equipment was used by Azeri forces involved in fighting with Armenia.

Turkey and Canada are both members of NATO.

Following Canada’s announcement, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry had said the suspension showed a double standard.

Turkey’s military exports to its ally Azerbaijan have risen six-fold this year, with sales of drones and other military equipment rising to $77m last month alone before fighting broke out over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, according to exports data.

07:00 GMT – Azeri human rights official accuses Armenia of ‘provoking’ Azerbaijan

Ahmad Shahidov, the head of Azerbaijan Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, told Al Jazeera his country was being provoked by Armenia to respond to military attacks.

“Azerbaijan liberated several regions from under Armenian occupation. That’s why the Armenian army moved back to Armenia and fired from its territory to provoke Azerbaijan to destroy these fire points,” he said.

International law demands the withdrawal of the external troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, he added.

“There are four UN security council resolutions that immediately demand the withdrawal of external troops from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding region.

06:45 GMT – Scud missile fired on Ganja, Al Jazeera correspondent says

The overnight attack on Ganja was caused by a Scud missile, said Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu.

“What we have been hearing from [Azeri] officials is that this is a Scud missile that was fired from Armenian territory,” she said, speaking from the capital Baku.

Koseoglu said the general prosecutor of Azerbaijan and the minister of state of emergency are in the area trying to understand the impact of this explosion, and to hear from the locals who witnessed the attack.

It’s not an earthquake.

It’s #GanjaCity where Armenian army indiscriminately bombing the city.

More than 20 buildings flattened, casualties unknown.#ArmeniaKillsCivilians

pic.twitter.com/GDiTOWJWIS

— Hakan Copur (@hakancopur1) October 16, 2020

“People say there are still civilians under the rubble, and that the impact of this explosion caused by the Scud missile is large,” she said.

Scud missiles are a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.

05:55 GMT: Azerbaijan says 12 civilians killed, 40 wounded in Ganja by Armenia shelling

Azerbaijan said 12 civilians were killed and more than 40 were wounded in the city of Ganja due to shelling by Armenia.

The Azeri Prosecutor General’s office said that two shells hit apartment buildings in the country’s second-largest city.

There has been no official reaction from Armenia as yet.

The post Armenia, Azerbaijan agree new Nagorno-Karabakh truce: Live appeared first on News Agency nabakhabar.

The ceasefire, clinched after marathon talks in Moscow advocated by President Vladimir Putin, was meant to halt fighting to allow ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces to swap prisoners and war dead.

But within minutes of the truce taking effect from midday on Saturday (08:00 GMT), both sides accused each other of breaking it.

Eduard Chechyan gestures in the yard of his apartment building destroyed by 
shelling in Nagorno-Karabakh region [AP Photo]

The Armenian defence ministry accused Azerbaijan of shelling a settlement inside Armenia, while ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh alleged that Azeri forces had launched a new offensive five minutes after the truce took hold.

Azerbaijan said enemy forces in the disputed region were shelling Azeri territory. Both sides have consistently denied each others’ assertions about military activity.

Under the international law, Nagorno-Karabakh is recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

But ethnic Armenians, who make up the vast majority of the population, reject the Azerbaijani rule and have been running their own affairs with Armenia’s support since a devastating war in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Earlier on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who helped mediate the ceasefire talks in Moscow, said in a statement the truce had been agreed on humanitarian grounds.

The International Committee of the Red Cross would help make the truce work, he said.

“The specific terms of the ceasefire still need to be agreed,” said Lavrov, who said the two rivals had also agreed to enter into what he called substantive peace talks to be held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group.

But Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Stepanakart in Nagorno-Karabakh region, said the ceasefire has been breached. “To what level or extent is not immediately clear,” he said.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev told Russia’s RBC news outlet that the warring parties were now engaged in trying to find a political settlement, but suggested there would be further fighting ahead.

“We’ll go to the very end and get what rightfully belongs to us,” he said.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also said the “humanitarian ceasefire” would only last for as long as it took for the Red Cross to arrange the exchange of the dead.

Speaking at a briefing in Baku, he complained that the status quo on the ground in the mountainous region did not suit his country and that Azerbaijan hoped and expected to take control of more territory in time.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Tartar in Azerbaijan, said the ceasefire “has not been welcomed by the Azeri people” either.

“They believe that after 30 years … this is the first time they have the upper hand. The have military power with more sophisticated weapons. They believe a long truce or long-term ceasefire will only help Armenians build their positions,” she said.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart discussed the latest developments in Nagorno-Karabakh in a phone call on Saturday.

Rouhani welcomed the ceasefire and said Iran continues to be ready to facilitate a peaceful resolution, but repeated concerns about the reported deployment of foreign fighters.

“The presence of terrorists in the conflict can be dangerous for Iran and Russia, and the entire region,” Rouhani said, according to the Iranian president’s website.

Putin, on the other hand, reportedly briefed Rouhani on Russian efforts to resolve the conflict and said he understood Iranian concerns.

“All neighboring countries must try to end war and bloodshed and strive for conflict resolution through negotiations,” he was quoted as saying.

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