Fighting is continuing for a 17th day over Nagorno-Karabakh, despite a ceasefire being agreed in Moscow.

[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]

Read our latest stories: 

• Opinion | On the importance of losing
• Opinion | How I learned not to hate
• Opinion | We are a generation of war
• Opinion | To stand for peace, in spite of everything
• Analysis | A dangerous turn in a 30-year conflict
• Under fire in Stepanakert

 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.

Ministry of Emergency Situations of Nagorno-Karabakh: 25 civilians dead, over 100 wounded

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Nagorno-Karabakh, since the fighting began, 25 civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh have been killed and over 100 wounded.

Secretary of Russia’s Security Council meets with Armenia’s Foreign Minister

Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev has met with Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan the press service of Security Council reports.  

The two reportedly reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to resolving the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict exclusively by political and diplomatic methods. The meeting took place ‘within the framework of the implementation of the initiatives of the Russian Federation to stabilize the situation in the Transcaucasus’.

Azerbaijani peace activists called for questioning

Azerbaijani peace activists Narmin Shahmarzade and Giyas Ibrahimov have reported that they have been called to the Prosecutor’s Office for questioning. The two were among the signatories of a statement calling for peace.

Read the full story: Azerbaijani peace activists called for questioning.

WHO: Conflict worsens COVID-19 pandemic 

World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic has said that the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

‘As we have been repeatedly saying, COVID-19 does not respect borders or lines’, Jasarevic said at a press conference today. ‘The mobilisation of troops for conflict, the displacement of populations because of it all, adds to the ability of the virus to take hold.’

He announced that the WHO will provide additional support to Armenia and Azerbaijan to help them deal with the growing number of infections. Over the past two weeks, Armenia has reported double the amount of new cases and in Azerbaijan, new cases have increased by roughly 80% over the past week.

Armenian President ‘open’ to peacekeepers, but all ‘depends on how the peace talks are going’ 

In an interview with Russian-state owned media outlet RT, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian stated that ‘there are no restrictions’ on the idea of peacekeepers being active in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

‘There will be peacekeepers if the two sides agree. They cannot be on the same side, he said. As to whether he would support the measure, he said that ‘it depends on how the peace talks are going’.

Pompeo: ‘implement ceasefire commitments’

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on the Azerbaijan and Armenia to ‘implement their commitments to a ceasefire as agreed and cease targeting civilian areas, such as Ganja and Stepanakert’. 

‘We deplore the loss of human life and remain committed to a peaceful settlement’, he concluded. 

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: Ceasefire demands must be accompanied by calls for Armenian withdrawal

In a press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde,  Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that only if the call for an immediate ceasefire is accompanied by a call for Armenia to 'retreat from Azerbaijani lands', then could Turkey ‘really see the desire of the international community to solve this problem’.

He also criticised the Minsk Group co-chairs (France, USA, and Russia) for having ‘not taken any concrete steps to resolve this situation’. 

He reiterated Turkey’s support to Azerbaijan ‘on the field (of battle)’ and ‘at the (negotiating) table’.

Opinion | On the importance of losing

Continuing our #VoicesForPeace series, Leyla Sayfutdinova, a social scientist from Baku studying post-Soviet transformation in Azerbaijan writes about the illusions of both sides when it comes to resolving the conflict.

‘Armenia and Azerbaijan have failed to reach a compromise solution over Nagorno-Karabakh. One’s victory over the other is illusory. The only way forward is to reflect on what has been lost and what is left to lose.’

Read the full article: Opinion | On the importance of losing

Russian Defence Ministry taking ‘active part’ in ending Nagorno-Karabakh fighting 

‘The Russian Defense Ministry, within its competence, takes an active part in the implementation of the initiatives of the Russian Federation for the earliest possible stabilization of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh’,  reporters at a briefing held at the Russian Defence Ministry were told today. 

Reporters were also told that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ‘held talks with his colleagues from various countries’ on the ‘immediate cessation of hostilities’. 

The Russian Defence Ministry is ‘especially concerned about the presence of ‘terrorist groups from the Middle East’ in the fighting and the Russian Defence Minister reportedly spoke about the issue with his Turkish counterpart yesterday.  

Azerbaijan: 42 civilians dead, 206 injured

The Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Azerbaijan has announced that since the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh began, 42 civilians have been killed and 206 injured. 

Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities report ceasefire violations this morning

Vahram Pogosyan, Press Secretary of the President of Nagorno-Karabakh, wrote on Facebook that Azerbaijani Army ‘has started large-scale military operations all over the front from early morning’, violating the ceasefire.

He also reported that Azerbaijan used artillery fire against civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani authorities report that Tartar, Aghdam, Goranboy and Aghjabadi have been under fire this morning.  

Armenia: Number of military fatalities has risen to 542

Armenian authorities report that that 542 soldiers have been killed since the fighting began. Azerbaijan does not release the number of fatalities among their soldiers.  

Israeli Supreme Court rejects request to ban sale of weapons to Azerbaijan

The Jerusalem Post reports that Israel’s High Court of Justice has denied a hearing on banning the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan, stating that there was a lack of evidence of that they had been used to commit war crimes against Armenia. 

The court previously rejected a similar petition to ban the sale of weapons to Myanmar, which has been accused of committing war crimes and genocide against its Rohingya minority.