Unsplash/Lora OhanessianShepherds herd sheep on the side of a road in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The UN chief is “extremely concerned” over renewed hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict zone that erupted on Sunday.
According to news reports, at least 16 people have been killed along the line of contact in the worst fighting between
the two former Soviet Republics in four years.
“He condemns the use of force and regrets the loss of life and the toll on the civilian population”, UN Spokesperson
Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.
This latest skirmish between the two countries, which fought a war in the 1990s as the Soviet Union was dissolving, has
heightened fears of instability in the South Caucasus, a region that provides crucial transit routes for gas and oil to
world markets.
Both States have declared martial law and Armenia ordered the total mobilization of its military, according to media
reports.
“The Secretary-General strongly calls on the sides to immediately stop fighting, de-escalate tensions and return to
meaningful negotiations without delay”, Mr. Dujarric said, adding that the UN chief would be speaking to both the
President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia.Back and forth
Armenia accused Azerbaijan of carrying out early morning air and artillery attacks on the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh
region.
The two fought a six-year war over the region until a 1994 truce, but over the years, both countries have blamed the
other for ceasefire violations in the enclave and along the border, including in July.
In recent months, more than a dozen soldiers and civilians have been killed in the struggle.
Mr. Dujarric underscored that the Secretary-General reiterated his “full support” for the important role of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairs and urged the sides to “work closely
with them for an urgent resumption of dialogue without preconditions”.