New Delhi: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, suggests both countries reach a peace settlement and end the hostilities. Blinken talked to leaders of the two countries on a telephone call after the neighbors’ worst fighting erupted again.
Blinken said he told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in separate phone calls that the conflict was “in no one’s interest.”
The American effort comes as Moscow — whose relationship with Washington has nosedived over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — said earlier Tuesday it had brokered a ceasefire between the former Soviet republics.
Blinken said there were “always concerns” about Moscow’s role but added: “If Russia can actually use its own influence to calm the waters… that would be a positive thing.”
Armenia said that nearly 50 of its soldiers were killed and accused Azerbaijan of trying to advance on its territory after gains in the 2020 war.
Nagorno-Karabakh is known to be a part of Azerbaijan. However, the majority of the people living in the enclave are Armenians.
However, India on Tuesday called upon the “aggressor side” to “immediately cease hostilities” and said there can be no military solution to any conflict.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India believes that bilateral disputes should be settled through diplomacy and dialogue.
“We have seen reports of attacks along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including targeting of civilian settlements and infrastructure on September 12-13. We call upon the aggressor side to immediately cease hostilities,” Bagchi said.
There has been a raging military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a strategically located mountainous enclave.
(Vinayak)