Armenia, Azerbaijan report 99 troops killed inside border clash

Armenia, Azerbaijan report 99 troops killed inside border clash

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Fighting on the border inside the centre of Armenia accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Azerbaijan killed concerning 100 troops Tuesday while attacks on both sides fed fears of broader hostilities breaking not here inside the centre of the longtime adversaries.

Armenia said at least 49 of its soldiers were killed; Azerbaijan said it lost 50.

The fighting erupted minutes following midnight accompanied by Azerbaijani forces unleashing an artillery barrage accompanied by every one one other accompanied by drone attacks inside numerous sections of Armenian territory, according to Armenia's Defense Ministry. It said shelling grew less great all over the day nevertheless Azerbaijani troops were trying to go forward into Armenian territory.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it was responding to a "large-scale provocation" by Armenia late Monday accompanied by every one one other accompanied by early Tuesday. It said Armenian troops planted mines accompanied by every one one other accompanied by fired on Azerbaijani military positions.

The place of set of two countries have been locked inside a decades-old debate over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is small part of Azerbaijan nevertheless has been under the jurisdiction of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended inside 1994.

Azerbaijan reclaimed broad swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh inside a six-week war inside 2020 that killed additional than 6,600 people accompanied by every one one other accompanied by ended accompanied by a Russia-brokered tranquillity deal. Moscow deployed concerning 2,000 troops to the neighbourhood to labour for while peacekeepers under the deal.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged both parties "to refrain from further escalation accompanied by every one one other accompanied by show restraint." Moscow has engaged inside a fine balancing lay clasp of deed inside seeking to convey on accompanied by affectionate ties accompanied by both ex-Soviet nations. It has strong monetary accompanied by every one one other accompanied by safety ties accompanied by Armenia, which hosts a Russian military base, while excessively has been developing near collaboration accompanied by oil-rich Azerbaijan.

The international inhabitants excessively urged calm.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Armenia accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Azerbaijan "to lay clasp of immediate steps to deescalate tensions, exercise greatest restraint accompanied by every one one other accompanied by resolve some outstanding issues into with every one other accompanied by not here of dialogue" accompanied by every one one other accompanied by tool foregoing agreements, his spokesperson said.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled closed consultations Wednesday on the renewed fighting.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called Russian President Vladimir Putin accompanied by every one one other accompanied by subsequent excessively had calls accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron, European Council President Charles Michel accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone accompanied by his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke accompanied by both Pashinyan accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev. The U.S. has a exceptional envoy inside the region, Blinken said, "and my hope is that we tin go this from debate spine to the negotiating bench accompanied by every one one other accompanied by spine to trying to build a peace."

Speaking inside parliament early Tuesday, Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of having had an uncompromising stance at recent European Union-brokered talks inside Brussels.

Armenia said the Azerbaijani shelling Tuesday damaged civilian infrastructure accompanied by every one one other accompanied by wounded an unspecified number of people.

On Facebook, Aliyev expressed condolences "to the families accompanied by every one one other accompanied by relatives of our servicemen who died on September 13 while preventing large-scale provocations committed by the Armenian armed forces inside the way of the Kalbajar, Lachin, Dashkasan accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Zangilan regions of Azerbaijan."

Turkey, an associate of Azerbaijan, excessively placed the clasp inside ask in remittance of for the violence on Armenia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support for Aliyev accompanied by every one one other accompanied by said inside a statement that Turkey accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Azerbaijan are "brotherly ... inside all matters."

The executive of Gegharkunik province, one of the regions that came under Azerbaijani shelling, said there was a 40-minute lull inside the fighting, apparently reflecting Moscow's try to talk over terms a truce, earlier to it subsequent resumed. The governor, Karen Sarkisyan, said quartet Armenian troops inside his neighbourhood were killed accompanied by every one one other accompanied by another 43 were wounded by the shelling.

The Armenian management said it would officially inquire Russia for assistance under a link treaty inside the centre of the countries, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by excessively appeal to the United Nations accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Moscow-dominated safety alliance of ex-Soviet nations.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refrained from remark on Armenia's appeal nevertheless added all over a conference call accompanied by reporters that Putin was "taking every one one try to assist de-escalate tensions."

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Vladimir Isachenkov inside Moscow contributed to this report.

Armenia, Azerbaijan report 99 troops killed inside border clash