A new ceasefire agreement reached by Armenia and Azerbaijan came into force at 00:00 on 18 October following 21 days of fighting.

[The news as it happened: 27 September, 28 September, 29 September, 30 September, 1 October, 2 October, 3 October, 4 October, 5 October, 6 October, 7 October, 8 October, 9 October, 10 October, 11 October, 12 October, 13 October, 14 October, 15 October, 16 October, 17 October, 18 October]

Read our latest stories: 

• Evidence mounts of war crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh
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 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

Pashinyan and Aliyev say they’re ready to meet and talk

In today’s interviews with TASS, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed their readiness to meet.

‘The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, this is our position. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan does not agree with this point of view. But I am ready to make all the necessary efforts to achieve such a result, including going [to Moscow], meeting, talking’, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan has also stressed that the conflict resolution shouldn’t mean a ‘capitulation of one of the sides, but a compromise’.

Aliyev told TASS that Azerbaijan was ready to ‘suspend military activities even tomorrow as long as Armenia behaves constructively’ in the negotiations.

‘We are always ready to meet in Moscow or anywhere else in order to put an end to the conflict and find ways of settlement’, he added.

Lavrov: ‘It’s necessary to establish mechanisms for monitoring compliance with the ceasefire regime’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has remarked on the ineffectiveness of the second ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan and said that the most important thing now is to ‘immediately stop heightening the confrontational rhetoric’ both between the conflict parties and by ‘international players’. 

‘This does not require any great effort’, he said.

Speaking at a press conference with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić, Lavrov noted that he informed his colleagues at the Council of Europe about Russia’s view on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and its involvement.

‘The next absolutely necessary step, and it must be taken at the same time as ending the confrontational rhetoric, is to halt hostilities, to stop the strikes on civilian targets’, he said. 

‘In order for the ceasefire to work (…) it is necessary to establish mechanisms for monitoring compliance with the ceasefire regime’, he said.

Lavrov noted that Russia is actively working on this with both Azerbaijan and Armenia. 

‘I hope that such a mechanism will be agreed in a very near future’, he added.

Azerbaijan: Armenian forces fired at Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline

Azerbaijan’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office has stated that on 18 October, the Armenian forces launched rockets in the direction of the Khizi District, located 300 km away from Nagorno-Karabakh. The strategically important oil pipeline which connects Baku with the Russian city of Novorossiysk at the Black Sea coast runs through the area.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office stated that despite the fact that the rockets were neutralised by the Azerbaijani forces, some debris fell at a distance of 250 metres from the pipeline’. 

Shushan Stepanyan, the spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Defence, denied the allegations, calling them ‘an absolute lie’. 

Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan has taken control over another 13 villages

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has announced that Azerbaijan has taken control of another 13 villages in the district of Jabrayil (Jrakan). 

The Soltanli, Emirvarli, Mashanli, Hasanli, Alikeykhanli, Gumlag, Hajili, Goyerchinveysalli, Niyazguzlar, Kechel Memmedli, Shahvelli, Haji Ismayilli and Isagli villages of Jabrayil district have been liberated. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!

— Ilham Aliyev (@presidentaz) October 19, 2020

Armenia and Azerbaijan report ceasefire violations 

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense reported that battles continued along the frontline. In the morning Azerbaijan’s Ministry also reported shelling by Armenian forces of the cities of Goranboy, Tartar, Aghdam and Aghjabadi. 

Armenian Ministry of Defence spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan has reported that this morning Azerbaijani forces ‘began shelling in the northern and southern directions’ of the frontline. The Unified Armenian Infocenter reports that Azerbaijan shelled Martuni (Khojavand) as well as the ‘communities of Urekan, Ishkhanadzor, Aygehovit and Vurgavan of Kashatagh region’. 

There is no independent ceasefire mechanism currently in place to verify claims of ceasefire violations.