Despite earlier claims of a ceasefire, fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia continued Wednesday, a day after nearly 100 soldiers died in clashes, according to the Azerbaijani and Armenian ministries of defense.
Russia suggested it had brokered a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan in a statement Tuesday, but it proved short-lived.
The Russian-mediated ceasefire was “almost immediately broken,” according to US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby.
Azerbaijan tweeted Wednesday that some of its military units were being subjected to artillery fire. In a statement, its Ministry of Defense said a criminal case had been opened into the case of two civilians injured as a result of the ongoing conflict with Armenia.
“Two civilians were wounded as a result of a large-scale provocation committed on the night of September 12 by the Armenian armed forces,” the statement read. “The facts are currently being investigated.”
Fifty Azerbaijani servicemen were killed in deadly clashes on Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said in a statement. They included 42 members of the Azerbaijan Army and eight members of the State Border Service, it said.
If the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues, it could place key oil and gas pipelines in jeopardy, exacerbating issues with energy supplies already disrupted by the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Turkey is aligning itself with Azerbaijan and its President, Recep Erdogan, has accused Armenia of starting the conflict by violating an existing peace settlement. /Argumentum.al
