STOCKHOLM, November 17. /TASS/. Ann Linde, Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Swedish Foreign Minister, has welcomed a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, mediated by Russia.
"[I] spoke to Armenian FM (Foreign Minister) Ararat Mirzoyan, welcome ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan after Russian mediation and called for de-escalation. Deep regret for loss of lives. Reiterated support for continued process through Minsk Group Co-Chairs and my Personal Representative," Linde wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10.
Under the statement, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides maintained the positions that they had held, and the Armenian forces turned over control of certain districts to Azerbaijan. In addition, Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the contact line and to the Lachin corridor, which links Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
On Tuesday, fierce fighting erupted between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Armenian border region of Syunik. Yerevan said that Azerbaijani troops launched an offensive into Armenian territory. The highway that links Armenia’s capital with the southern regions and Iran was put in jeopardy. Baku put the blame on Yerevan, accusing the Armenian armed forces of provocation. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said that Armenian troops attacked Azerbaijani military posts.
In the wake of those developments, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had phone calls with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that after the telephone conversations, the Armenian and Azerbaijani defense ministers had taken measures to stabilize the situation on the border, which then went back to normal.