Armenia, Azerbaijan agree Karabakh humanitarian truce from Oct 18

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to establish a humanitarian truce in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, beginning from October 18 midnight, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reports.

The sides had earlier agreed on a ceasefire to arrange the evacuation of bodies and exchange of prisoners of war. Azerbaijan, however, violated the ceasefire, by striking civilian settlements and attacking on several directions.

Minutes before the decision on establishing truce was announced, the Russian side reported that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had talked with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts over the phone.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and Syrian and Libyan mercenaries deployed by Ankara, started a war against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27. 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.