Azerbaijan said that Russia and Armenia do not abide by the ceasefire agreement in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, hours after the European Union called on both Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from “violence and sharp statements.”

Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This region is a small mountainous enclave that forms part of Azerbaijan, but is inhabited by about 120,000 Armenians.

After fierce fighting and a ceasefire brokered by Russia, in 2020 Azerbaijan took control of the Armenian-held areas in and around the region.

“Armenia does not abide by many of the terms of the agreement, and Russia does not guarantee its full implementation within the framework of its obligations,” the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on its website on Saturday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been holding discussions since then in order to reach a peace agreement, through which Russia also seeks to maintain a leadership role and in which the two countries focus on borders, settling disputes over the region and restoring relations.

European Council President Charles Michel hosted President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan for talks in Brussels with the aim of ending hostilities that have been going on between the two sides for more than three decades.

“Real progress depends on the next steps that will need to be taken in the near future,” Michel said. And as a matter of priority, violence and harsh rhetoric must stop in order to provide the right environment for peace talks and normalization.”

“The people on the ground need first and foremost reassurances regarding their rights and security,” he told reporters.

Michel said that he also expressed the EU’s encouragement to Azerbaijan to talk directly with the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in order to increase trust between the two parties.

Russia also said on Saturday that it was ready to organize a tripartite meeting with Armenia and Azerbaijan at the level of foreign ministers. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that this could be followed by a summit in Moscow to sign a peace treaty.

https://www.breakinglatest.news/news/azerbaijan-russia-and-armenia-do-not-abide-by-the-ceasefire-agreement-in-nagorno-karabakh/