Russia Calls on Armenia to Abide by Ceasefire

During a phone call with his counterparts in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu urged, on Wednesday, the two sides to abide by the ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan continued to exchange accusations of violating the ceasefire agreement, while the European Union called on the two warring parties to respect the ceasefire, which came into effect on Saturday, expressing its grave concern about the continued violations and targeting of civilians.

While Armenia accused Turkey of seeking to violate the Moscow agreement, Assistant President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev, warned during his visit to the city of Ganja, that his country would respond to any violations. According to Azerbaijan, shelling Ganja killed 7 civilians and injured 7 others.

However, the Armenian authorities in the Nagorno Karabakh region denied bombing Ganja, affirming that it respects the ceasefire agreement, and accused Azerbaijan of bombing civilian areas, including Stepanakert.

Noteworthy, no prisoners’ or dead bodies’ swap has been announced; this is one of the terms of the humanitarian ceasefire reached by Moscow.

The two sides exchange accusations regarding the violation of the ceasefire, while the Armenian city of Gores, which is inhabited by about 20 thousand people and close to the region, is witnessing the displacement of hundreds of Karabakh people fleeing the fighting there.