Azerbaijan announced partial mobilization against the background of the escalation of the Karabakh conflict. The corresponding order was signed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, his press service reported RIA Novosti.
The previously unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Armenia declared martial law and general mobilization. Baku stated that the Azerbaijani army is fully equipped and there is no need to mobilize.
The situation on the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on Sunday morning. The unrecognized Republic said that the Azerbaijani military opened fire on its territory, including the capital Stepanakert. There are victims among the civilian population.
Baku and Yerevan blame each other for the escalation. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claims that the attacks were launched by the Armenian side, and the Azerbaijani forces are conducting a counter-offensive operation. The Armenian military claims that Karabakh was subjected to air and missile attacks from Azerbaijan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on Baku and Yerevan to immediately cease fire and start negotiations.
The Karabakh conflict began in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous region announced its secession from the Azerbaijan SSR. As a result of the armed conflict in 1992-1994, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding areas.
Since 1992, negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict have been held within the framework of the OSCE Minsk group, led by three co — chairs-Russia, the United States and France. Azerbaijan insists on preserving its territorial integrity, while Armenia defends the interests of the unrecognized Republic, since the latter is not a party to the negotiations.
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Photo: official website of President of Russian Federation