Russian Defense Minister urges Karabakh sides to honor ceasefire

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu has urged the sides to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to fulfill their obligations under a ceasefire agreement reached in Moscow on October 10, RIA Novosti cited a Defense Ministry statement as saying.

Shoygu discussed the matter with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts – David Tonoyan and Zakir Hasanov – in a phone call on Wednesday, October 14.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and mercenaries deployed by Ankara, launched a large-scale offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. Foreign and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages. Although a humanitarian ceasefire was supposed to begin on October 10, Azerbaijan has renewed hostilities along the line of contact.