Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday called for a ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Russian Foreign Ministry said.
In an ANI report, the leaders were reported as saying that the recent attacks both along the contact line and in the territories of Azerbaijan and Armenia outside the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, pose an unacceptable threat to stability in the region.
The recent attacks that targeted civilians have started to spin out of control as the clash has spilt well-over the border areas. The conflict that has entered its eighth day, has had rocket and missile attacks against civilian populations. A total of 25 civilians had been killed and127 injured ever since the conflict broke out.
“Referring to the statement made by presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries on Oct. 1, the three leading diplomats once again call on the parties in the conflict to immediately and unconditionally come to a ceasefire,” a statement by Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said.
One official in Nagorno Karabakh posted a video of the damage on Twitter: "Look what destructions Azerbaijan did only today in capital #Stepanakert of #Artsakh/#Karabakh w/ heavy missiles. Schools, civilian objects, residential buildings were at intentional target. Isn't it war crime & crime against humanity?"
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988.
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has said that Turkey was an important player in the region, while Armenia's president, Armen Sarkissian, was reported in a CNN report as saying that he has asked the leaders of several nations to put pressure on Turkey to "stop interfering" in the region. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, in the meanwhile, has denied involvement in the conflict.
