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Russia has promised to help Yerevan if the war reaches Armenia

Russia said on Saturday that it would provide "necessary" assistance to Yerevan in the conflict with Azerbaijan if he requested allied assistance to reach Armenian territory.

 

Russia has promised to help Yerevan if the war reaches Armenia

Earlier Saturday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan formally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin "immediate" consultations on security assistance in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the conflict with Azerbaijan.

 

After Armenia and Azerbaijan failed to agree on a new ceasefire during talks in Geneva on Friday, Pasninyan sent the letter to Putin, as fighting continues overnight and Saturday.

 

These announcements have raised fears of escalating fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

 

Some observers are concerned that this could lead to decades of conflict between Yerevan's allies Russia and Turkey, which backs Baku.

 

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in fierce fighting for more than a month in Nagorno-Karabakh, an area of ​​Azerbaijan ruled by Armenian separatists since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

 

The outbreak has killed more than a thousand people; so far, the world powers have failed to persuade either side to stop fighting.

 

Armenia's second-largest city, Gyumri, has a Russian military base and a defense agreement with Yerevan.

 

Moscow, which has previously said its defense agreement with Armenia does not extend to the deviant Nagorno-Karabakh region, reiterated that assistance would be provided’ if fighting escalated.

 

"If there are direct clashes on Armenian soil, Russia will provide all necessary assistance to Yerevan," the foreign ministry said.

 

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on television that the "concrete form" of aid to Armenia would be’ discussed.

 

The Russian Foreign Ministry has also called on the warring parties to immediately cease-fire, escalate tensions and start "stable" talks.

 

In his letter to Putin, Pashinyan said that hostilities were growing closer to Armenia's borders and reiterated that Azerbaijan's ally Turkey was backing Baku.

 

The ministry said in a statement that "the prime minister of Armenia has asked the Russian president to initiate immediate consultations with the aim of determining the nature and amount of aid that the Russian Federation can provide to Armenia to ensure its security." Is."

 

Pashinyan sought Moscow's help, calling for closer ties between the two countries and a 1997 agreement on friendship, co-operation and co-operation.

 

- 'Impossible to calculate risks' -

 

Carey Cavanaugh, a former US ambassador and co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, said Putin was of the view that an extension of military engagement in the conflict was not in Moscow's interest.

 

"It's impossible to quantify this threat, but injecting one of the Russian or Turkish armed forces would be a significant sign of conflict," Cavanaugh, a professor of diplomacy at the University of Kentucky, told AFP.

 

At the same time, he said, "Russia could remove some forces from the barracks in Geometry to increase border security (they are already cooperating on that) or any of the displaced civilians fleeing the fighting." Can help with expulsion. "

 

Hikmat Hajiyev, an aide to the Azerbaijani president told AFP that Baku would not comment.

 

On Friday, mediators from France, Russia and the United States said in a statement from Geneva that the warring parties had pledged not to "deliberately target civilians or non-military objects in accordance with international humanitarian law."

 

But Karabakh's separatist-led Defense Ministry on Saturday accused Azerbaijan of violating the Geneva Accords and targeting the central city of Stepanakert and the strategically important town of Shusha.

 

The ministry said civilians were "injured" in Shusha. Baku refused to target the central city of Karabakh.

 

In the 1990s, Yerevan-backed Armenian separatists killed 30,000 people when they plunged Azerbaijan and Armenia into a bitter conflict over Karabakh.

 

The current clashes began on September 27 and continue despite repeated international efforts to secure a ceasefire.

 

The warring parties have agreed to a ceasefire three times during recent talks mediated by Russia, France, and the United States, but the fighting is soon over.

 

More than 1,200 people have been reported’ killed on both sides since the fighting began, but the actual death toll is believed’ to be much higher.


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