Latin American Herald Tribune
Aug 2 2014
Russia Expresses Concern over Armenian-Azerbaijani Clashes in Disputed Region
MOSCOW - Russia on Saturday expressed concerns about clashes between
the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in the disputed territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh that have left 13 dead on the Azerbaijani side in
recent days.
"We're expressing our concern over the sharp deterioration of the
situation in the conflict zone," Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for
Russia's Foreign Ministry, told local news agencies.
She said "a major escalation is unacceptable" and denounced the
fighting as "a serious violation of cease-fire accords and the
declared intentions of solving the dispute by political means."
"We urge all involved in the conflict to show restraint, renounce the
use of force and take urgent measures to stabilize the situation,"
Zakharova added.
In 2010, Russia signed an agreement with Armenia that extends its
lease on a military base in that country until 2044, while also
pledging to safeguard Armenia - which is located between Turkey and
Iran - from external threats.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have accused one another in recent days of
carrying out attacks and making incursions into Nagorno-Karabakh,
which lies within Azerbaijan but is populated mainly by ethnic
Armenians.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said four of the country's soldiers were
killed Saturday in border clashes with Armenia, raising the number of
Azerbaijani troops who have died over the past 48 hours to 13.
The eight soldiers killed on Thursday represent the biggest single-day
death toll for Azerbaijani troops since a cease-fire was declared in
May 1994, military expert Dzhasura Sumerinli told Efe.
The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe has been
supervising that truce since then.
For its part, Armenia threatened Saturday to carry out punitive
measures against Azerbaijan's military forces if the neighboring
country does not cease its incursions into the separatist enclave.
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh goes back to the collapse of the
Soviet Union, when the region's Armenian population sought unification
with Armenia, leading to a 1991-1994 war that left more than 25,000
people dead.
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian troops occupy the entire enclave and
seven adjacent districts and have created a "security buffer" that
represents a third of Azerbaijani territory.
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2346122&CategoryId=12395
Aug 2 2014
Russia Expresses Concern over Armenian-Azerbaijani Clashes in Disputed Region
MOSCOW - Russia on Saturday expressed concerns about clashes between
the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in the disputed territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh that have left 13 dead on the Azerbaijani side in
recent days.
"We're expressing our concern over the sharp deterioration of the
situation in the conflict zone," Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for
Russia's Foreign Ministry, told local news agencies.
She said "a major escalation is unacceptable" and denounced the
fighting as "a serious violation of cease-fire accords and the
declared intentions of solving the dispute by political means."
"We urge all involved in the conflict to show restraint, renounce the
use of force and take urgent measures to stabilize the situation,"
Zakharova added.
In 2010, Russia signed an agreement with Armenia that extends its
lease on a military base in that country until 2044, while also
pledging to safeguard Armenia - which is located between Turkey and
Iran - from external threats.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have accused one another in recent days of
carrying out attacks and making incursions into Nagorno-Karabakh,
which lies within Azerbaijan but is populated mainly by ethnic
Armenians.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said four of the country's soldiers were
killed Saturday in border clashes with Armenia, raising the number of
Azerbaijani troops who have died over the past 48 hours to 13.
The eight soldiers killed on Thursday represent the biggest single-day
death toll for Azerbaijani troops since a cease-fire was declared in
May 1994, military expert Dzhasura Sumerinli told Efe.
The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe has been
supervising that truce since then.
For its part, Armenia threatened Saturday to carry out punitive
measures against Azerbaijan's military forces if the neighboring
country does not cease its incursions into the separatist enclave.
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh goes back to the collapse of the
Soviet Union, when the region's Armenian population sought unification
with Armenia, leading to a 1991-1994 war that left more than 25,000
people dead.
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian troops occupy the entire enclave and
seven adjacent districts and have created a "security buffer" that
represents a third of Azerbaijani territory.
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2346122&CategoryId=12395