The Armenian Defense Ministry announced late Tuesday afternoon that it had agreed to Russian “mediation” in a ceasefire with Azerbaijan, following a day of clashes between Armenian and Azeri forces in the disputed Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh. marked by last year war in the region.
“Through the mediation of the Russian side, an agreement was reached to end the exchange of fire on the eastern border of Armenia from 18.30 in the afternoon,” the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “The situation has relatively stabilized,” he said, adding that an Armenian soldier was killed in the clashes today.
The Armenian parliament spoke of 15 Armenian soldiers who lost their lives in clashes on the country’s border with Azerbaijan.
Armenia also lost control of “two military positions” and 12 of its soldiers were captured, according to Yerevan, while claiming that Armenian forces in response inflicted “heavy losses” on Azerbaijani forces.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pasinian denounced “aggression against sovereign Armenian territory” during a meeting of the National Security Council, accusing Baku of targeting “Armenia’s state system, sovereignty and independence.”
Yerevan had asked Moscow to help defend Armenia’s territorial integrity against Azerbaijan, and said a fierce border clash between Azeri and Armenian forces was under way.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pasinian discussed the situation during a telephone conversation with the Kremlin late today, without giving further details.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had telephone conversations with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, calling on them to stop activities that are escalating the situation between the two countries, according to Interfax.
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