War in Karabakh: 18th anniversary of ceasefire agreement (video)

  May 12, 2012 - 14:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - May 12 marks the 18th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement between Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

On May 5, 1994, the CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament, Russian Federal Assembly and Foreign Ministry initiated a meeting which resulted in signing of Bishkek protocol by representatives of the Supreme Council of Armenia and Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s Milli Mejlis. The protocol called for ceasefire on May 8 night, 1994.

On May 9, plenipotentiary representative of Russian president in Nagorno Karabakh Vladimir Kazimirov prepared the Agreement on Ceasefire. Azerbaijani defense minister Mamedrafi Mammadov signed it the same day in Baku.

On May 10, Armenia’s then defense minister Serzh Sargsyan signed the document in Yerevan, and commander of NKR Defense Army Samvel Babayan signed the paper on May 11. The agreement took effect on May 12 midnight, 1994.

The document signed by Ministers of Defense of Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as by the Commander of the NKR Defense Army says that the parties “express determination to assist in all possible ways to the cessation of armed conflict in and around Nagorno Karabakh, which does not only cause irretrievable losses to Armenian and Azerbaijani people, but also significantly affects the interests of other countries in the region and seriously complicates the international situation.”

It calls on the conflicting sides “to come to common senses and work intensively to confirm this as soon as possible by signing a reliable, legally binding agreement” and “to continue meetings for peaceful resolution of the armed conflict.”