Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Ossetia Dmitry Medoev and Foreign Minister of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Masis Mayilyan discussed by phone the sharp aggravation of the situation in the zone of the Karabakh conflict, the press service of the South Ossetian Foreign Ministry reported.
"A telephone conversation between Acting Foreign Minister of South Ossetia Dmitry Medoev and Artsakh Republic Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan took place. In the conversation, the ministers discussed a sharp aggravation of the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone," the message says.
Mayilyan has told Medoev that the Karabakh Defense Army was holding a blow along the entire front of the contact line, heavy fighting is underway, the press service noted.
Medoev, for his part, has noted that South Ossetia is closely following the development of events in Karabakh, and expressed concern about the ongoing hostilities, leading to casualties among the civilian population. "South Ossetia stands for an immediate ceasefire and believes that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement of the conflict," Medoev said.
On September 27, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that the Armenian Armed Forces fired on settlements on the contact line in Karabakh, according to these data, there are civilian and military casualties. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, Karabakh "was subjected to air and missile attacks." In Yerevan, they said that Baku "launched an offensive" in the Karabakh direction. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic reported that peaceful settlements in Karabakh, including the capital Stepanakert, were subjected to artillery shelling, the authorities called on the population to take refuge, and later declared martial law and mobilization in Karabakh.
Armenia also declared martial law and general mobilization. Former Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia, ex-Ombudsman of Karabakh Ruben Melikyan has stated that general mobilization is announced in Armenia for the first time. President of Azerbaijan approved the introduction of martial law in a number of cities and regions of the republic and a curfew in the country, and also announced a partial mobilization.
The leaders of Russia, the United States and France previously called on the opposing sides to end the clashes, pledge to begin negotiations without preconditions, condemned the escalation, and also expressed condolences to the relatives of the perished and wounded.
The conflict in Karabakh began in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its secession from the Azerbaijan SSR. In the course of the armed confrontation in 1992-1994, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. Since 1992, negotiations have been underway on a peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, headed by three co-chairs - Russia, the United States and France. Azerbaijan insists on preserving its territorial integrity, Armenia protects the interests of the republic, since NKR is not a party to the negotiations.
