ZCZC
BFF-06
ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN-CONFLICT-KARABAKH
Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes rage as Macron denounces ‘jihadist’ deployment
STEPANAKERT, Azerbaijan, Oct 2, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Armenian and Azerbaijani
forces have intensified their shelling as French President Emmanuel Macron
said jihadist militants had been deployed to Nagorny Karabakh in a “serious”
new development.
The West and Moscow renewed calls to halt several days of fighting over the
disputed Nagorny Karabakh region that has left more than 130 dead and
threatened to draw in regional powers Turkey and Russia.
In a joint appeal on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, US
President Donald Trump and Macron urged the two sides to return to
negotiations aimed at resolving their longstanding territorial dispute.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev
have both rejected the idea of holding talks, with the Armenian leader
stating: “Nagorno-Karabakh cannot disarm, because it would lead to genocide.”
“The people who live there face an existential threat,” Pashinyan told
French newspaper Le Figaro.
But Russia suggested it was making progress in diplomatic efforts with
Turkey, a firm supporter of Azerbaijan in the conflict.
It said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish counterpart Mevlut
Cavusoglu had confirmed they were ready for “close coordination” to stabilise
the situation.
In Martuni, a small town in Karabakh around 25 kilometres (15 miles) from
the front line, residents took refuge in cellars as heavy shelling by
Azerbaijan killed four civilians and wounded 11.
Artak Aloyan, a 54-year-old construction worker sheltering in his basement
with an elderly neighbour, vowed to stay despite the worst clashes the
contested region has seen for years.
“I built this house with my own hands. I will not go anywhere, that’s
that,” he told AFP after a rocket attack. “I will die here in the last
battle.”
– ‘Crushing strikes’ –
The rival Caucasus nations have been locked in a bitter stalemate over
Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union when the ethnic Armenian
region broke away from Azerbaijan.
In the fiercest clashes in years, 136 people have been confirmed dead in
fighting that has raged for five days.
The Armenian defence ministry said fighting had intensified and its troops
had repelled Azerbaijani attacks, downing helicopters and destroying drones
and armoured vehicles.
It said Azerbaijani forces had fired on two villages inside Armenia, close
to Karabakh, killing one civilian.
Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said that 1,280 Azerbaijani
troops had been killed and 2,700 wounded since Sunday, with both sides making
claims of inflicting heavy casualties.
Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said its forces had carried out “crushing
artillery strikes” on Armenian troops. It denied claims that one of its
helicopters was shot down and had crashed in Iran.
The two sides have accused each other of shelling civilian areas and
ignored repeated calls from international leaders to halt the fighting.
Putin, Macron and Trump called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities”
and urged the warring sides to commit to talks.
– ‘Foreign fighters’-
Yerevan is in a military alliance of ex-Soviet countries led by Moscow and
has accused Turkey of dispatching mercenaries from northern Syria to bolster
Azerbaijan’s forces in the Karabakh conflict.
It also claimed earlier this week that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet flying in
support of Baku’s forces had downed an Armenian SU-25 warplane, but Ankara
and Baku denied the claim.
Pashinyan reiterated claims that mercenaries had joined the conflict,
saying Azerbaijan and Turkey were fighting “with the help and involvement of
foreign terrorist fighters”.
“This terrorism equally threatens the United States, Iran, Russia, and
France,” he added.
His calls were echoed by Macron, who earlier said intelligence reports had
established that 300 Syrian fighters drawn from “jihadist groups” from the
Syrian city of Aleppo had passed through Turkey en route for Azerbaijan.
The French president said that a “red line has been crossed, which is
unacceptable” and demanded an explanation from Ankara.
Azerbaijan’s ally, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, has signalled his
country’s full backing for Baku’s military and on Thursday called for
Armenian troops to leave Karabakh.
– Civilian casualties –
Armenia has recorded the deaths of 104 soldiers and 13 civilians.
Azerbaijan has not reported any military casualties but said 19 civilians
were killed after Armenian shelling.
Karabakh’s declaration of independence from Azerbaijan sparked a war in the
early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives, but it is still not recognised as
independent by any country, including Armenia.
Armenia and Karabakh declared martial law and military mobilisation Sunday,
while Azerbaijan imposed military rule and a curfew in large cities.
Talks to resolve the conflict have largely stalled since a 1994 ceasefire
agreement.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0914 hrs