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2,300 Armenian soldiers ‘neutralised’, says Azerbaijan

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  • Fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia entered a fourth day on Wednesday in the biggest eruption of the decades-old conflict since a 1994 ceasefire.
  • Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed region inside Azerbaijan and controlled by ethnic Armenians. It broke away from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s but is not recognised by any country as an independent republic.
  • The fighting has spread beyond the borders of the disputed region, threatening to spill into all-out war between the former Soviet republics.
  • Dozens of people have been reported killed and hundreds wounded since the new wave of fighting broke out on Sunday.
  • Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are under way to stop the fighting, with the United Nations calling for an immediate halt to clashes.

Here are the latest updates:

Wednesday, September 30
08:07 GMT: Macron criticises Turkey’s “warlike” rhetoric on Nagorno-Karabakh
French President Emmanuel Macron said Turkey’s “warlike” rhetoric was encouraging Azerbaijan to reconquer Nagorno-Karabakh and that was unacceptable, though he added that he had no proof at this stage of direct Turkish involvement.

Fierce fighting broke out on Sunday between Armenian and Azeri forces over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region inside Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians. Turkey is an ally of Azerbaijian, with which it shares ethnic and cultural ties.

“I have noted Turkey’s political declarations (in favour of Azerbaijan), which I think are inconsiderate and dangerous,” Macron told a news conference in Latvia.

07:25 GMT: Armenia says no need for outside military help
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, says he is not at this point considering asking for help under a post-Soviet security treaty – but did not rule out doing so.

“Armenia will ensure its security, with the participation of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) or without it,” Russian news agencies quoted Pashinyan as saying.

He said he and Putin had not discussed the possibility of Russian military intervention in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Russia has used the CSTO, along with the Eurasian Economic Union, another regional bloc focused on trade, to project influence across most of the former Soviet Union.

07:00 GMT – Armenia not ready for Russia-mediated peace talks: PM
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said peace talks with Azerbaijan under Russian mediation would be inappropriate, as fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region entered a fourth day.

“It isn’t very appropriate to speak of a summit between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia at a time of intensive hostilities,” Pashinyan told Russia’s Interfax news agency. “A suitable atmosphere and conditions are needed for negotiations.”

06:35 GMT – 2,300 Armenian soldiers ‘neutralised’: Azerbaijan defence ministry
At least 2,300 Armenian soldiers have been killed or wounded by Azerbaijani troops since the conflict between the two countries began on Sunday, Azerbaijan’s defence ministry has said, according to an Anadolu Agency report.

The ministry statement added that 130 tanks and armoured vehicles, more than 200 artillery and missile systems, approximately 25 air defence systems, six command and observation zones, five ammunition depots, 50 anti-tank guns and 55 cars were also destroyed.

You can read the updates from September 29 here.

Source: Al Jazeera


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