Heavy fighting erupts over separatist Nagorno-Karabakh

[bemildred]

YEREVAN, Armenia — Heavy fighting has broken out between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces along the front lines of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, reportedly killing at least one child in what one official called the worst clashes since 1994.

Officials from each former Soviet republic blamed the other Saturday for the fighting that began overnight. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan said they had inflicted heavy losses on the other.

David Babayan, a spokesman for Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist president, said a boy of about 12 was killed and two other children wounded in a Grad missile barrage by Azerbaijani forces. He characterized the fighting as the worst since 1994, when a war over the territory ended.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, urged all sides to cease firing and “show restraint,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/armenia-heavy-fighting-in-nagorno-karabakh-helicopter-hit/2016/04/02/9396dd14-f89f-11e5-958d-d038dac6e718_story.html

[bemildred]

1. Putin calls for end to violence in Nagorno-Karabakh

Russia made a concerted effort to end conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia after a fresh wave of fighting broke out in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region on Saturday, raising concerns over violence spreading in South Caucasus.

Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians, has run its own affairs with heavy military and financial backing from Armenia since a separatist war ended in 1994.

Azerbaijan frequently threatens to take Nagorno-Karabakh region back by force. Clashes around the region have fueled worries of a widening conflict breaking out in the region, which is crossed by oil and gas pipelines.

Both sides report numerous casualties, accusing each other on Saturday of violating a ceasefire, a sign that the two-decade-old conflict which has left some 30,000 people dead is far from a peaceful resolution.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nagorno-karabakh-fighting-idUSKCN0WZ07T

[Eugene]

2. Azerbaijan declares unilateral ceasefire amid Nagorno-Karabakh violence

Source: CNN

Azerbaijan declares unilateral ceasefire amid Nagorno-Karabakh violence

By Greg Botelho, Gul Tuysuz and Joshua Berlinger, CNN
Updated 1309 GMT (2009 HKT) April 3, 2016 | Video Source: CNN

(CNN) - Azerbaijan says it is laying down its weapons in its recent conflict with Armenia, according to state media, a day after 30 soldiers from both sides were killed.

"In the light of persistent calls from international organizations and given the fact that the government of Azerbaijan is pursuing a peaceful policy, the Azerbaijani armed forces took a unilateral decision to stop counter-attacks and retaliatory action against the enemy in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the country's ministry of defense said in a statement, according to Azerbaijan state news agency Azertac.

However, Azerbaijan said it will respond to any continued "provocations" with "offensive operations in order to destroy the enemy."

The announcement comes a day after long-simmering tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared again, with at least 18 Armenian and 12 Azerbaijani troops killed in fighting, according to state media reports.

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Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/03/asia/azerbaijan-armenia-violence/