Home Politics Armenia and Azerbaijan pledged not to target civilian areas in the Naka conflict
France expresses its willingness to help protect the cultural heritage of Naqqa

Armenia and Azerbaijan pledged not to target civilian areas in the Naka conflict

by YCPress

On October 6, 2020 local time, in Ganja, Azerbaijan, a military conflict resulted in building damage. People’s Visual Information Map

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan held talks in Geneva on October 30. The two sides did not reach a ceasefire agreement, but promised to avoid attacking civilian areas during the Nagorno-Karabakh Naka conflict.

According to a Reuters report on the 30th, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and representatives from France, Russia, and the United States held talks in Geneva on the same day.

After the talks, the two sides issued a statement saying that in accordance with international humanitarian law, in the Naka conflict, “We will not deliberately target civilian and demilitarized areas.”

 At the same time, the two sides also promised to exchange the remains of combatants and submit a list of prisoners of war within one week.

Although Armenia and Azerbaijan did not reach a ceasefire agreement during their talks on the 30th, the two sides indicated that they would propose their own plans for a possible ceasefire mechanism. 

The meeting was supported by the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). France, Russia and the United States are the co-chairs of the group. 

After attending the meeting, the representatives of the three countries issued a joint statement urging the two sides to implement the ceasefire agreement. The co-chairs of the Minsk Group will work with the two countries to find a peaceful solution.

According to a report by the Associated Press on the 30th, officials in the Naqqa region said that 1,166 combatants and 39 civilians have been killed in the Nakka conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that the death toll from the Naka conflict is approaching 5,000.

Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out in a new round of conflict in the Naka region on September 27, and it has lasted for more than a month. The two countries have reached a ceasefire agreement on October 10, 17 and 25, but the agreement took effect three times. Soon after, they accused each other of breaking the ceasefire agreement.