Credit: France 24
Following a death toll of 6500 soldiers in 2020 in the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, border clashes in Azerbaijan left 49 more dead before a rapid ceasefire due to Russian intervention.
After long hours of aggressive border fighting between the historic rivals, Armenia reached out to leaders of the world seeking help, claiming that Azerbaijani soldiers were advancing on the territory of Armenia.
Armenia’s closest ally Russia intervened and said that it had succeeded in initiating a ceasefire agreement for 9:00 am Moscow time (0600 GMT). The ministry stated that Russian mediation has resulted in a ceasefire that will be carried out in full, also pointing out that the sudden fighting was extremely concerning.
Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, reached out to French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and US State Secretary Antony Blinked, demanding a reaction to Azerbaijan’s aggression, as he addressed the Parliament. Pashinyan told the officials that the current death count is at 49 and admitted that it was not the final number.
Azerbaijan also accused Armenia of subversive acts and said that Azerbaijani armed forces were only reacting with limited and targeted steps aimed to neutralize Armenian firing positions.
Last week Armenia pointed out that Azerbaijani forces killed one Armenian soldier in a border shootout.
While Russia succeeded in bringing the clashes to a halt, Armenia’s defense ministry said that the situation at the border is still extremely tense.
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