The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh has escalated again. Annalena Baerbock makes a surprising appeal to Moscow.
Baku/Yerevan – After Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region on the border with Armenia on Tuesday, politicians are concerned about the escalation of violence. Several civilians, including children, are said to have been killed or injured in the operation. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock appeals to Russia. France is also speaking out.
On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Green politician called on the Azerbaijani government to immediately end the military action in Nagorno-Karabakh. “Azerbaijan must stop the shelling immediately and return to the negotiating table,” said Baerbock. She further emphasized Russia’s responsibility to defend the Armenian residents from attacks in Baku. “The crucial thing is to protect the civilian population in Nagorno-Karabakh. This is also the task of the Russian soldiers stationed there.”
Nagorno-Karabakh: Annalena Baerbock appeals to Russia – Moscow reacts
Historically, Russia has been considered Armenia’s protective power, as both countries are, among other things, Christian-Orthodox. Armenia and Muslim Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus have been enemies for decades. The biggest point of contention is the affiliation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Since a war that lasted several weeks in 2020, large parts of the region have belonged to Azerbaijan under international law, but the population is largely Armenian. Since the end of the war, Russian soldiers have been monitoring the ceasefire between the parties.
Moscow also spoke out about the new outbreaks of violence. “We are deeply concerned about the sharp escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday at a press briefing on the dispute over the conflict region. Like Baerbock, she emphasized that the fighting had to end and the conflict had to be resolved through negotiations. At the same time, Zakharova rejected allegations made in Armenia that Russia was privy to Azerbaijan’s attack plans. The Russian troops stationed there only found out minutes before the military operation began, she said.
The extent to which Russia still has a supportive influence on Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh is questionable. Armenia is said to be militarily inferior. This is partly due to the fact that Moscow is investing most of its resources in the war in Ukraine.
“Escalation of violence” in Nagorno-Karabakh: France seeks emergency UN meeting
Meanwhile, Armenia has called on the UN Security Council and Russia to take measures to end the military operation launched by Azerbaijan in the conflict region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is according to the newspaper’s information AlJazeera According to him, he has already been in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
A little later, the French Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that France was seeking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and was in close contact with its European and American partners. Efforts are being made to give a strong response to the unacceptable offensive. (nz/dpa/afp)
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