After 10 hours of patient and intensive negotiations between Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, mediated in Moscow by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire agreement was negotiated to begin on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 12 noon. The agreement did not have specifics regarding the duration of the ceasefire. During the evening hours Oct. 11 — around midnight — sporadic shelling began, with both sides accusing the other of breaking the ceasefire, and towns on both sides being hit, resulting in casualties.
French Minister of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune said today that France has recently stepped up its efforts to help keep the peace, maintaining contacts with both countries, as well as with Turkey. France is one of the three co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group, along with Russia and the United States.
The Red Cross has also stated that it cannot carry out humanitarian efforts unless the ceasefire is observed. The ceasefire was intended to allow both sides to exchange prisoners and recover bodies from the areas of conflict, and that the Red Cross would be an observer for the exchange. Armenian President Arayik Harutyunyan said Oct. 11 that the situation was “calmer,” but that the truce was very fragile.
According to TASS, an emergency meeting is being planned for Oct. 12 among the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, with the Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. Russia, which has a mutual defense treaty with Armenia and a military base within the country, has been encouraging closer ties with Azerbaijan. Iran, which borders both countries, has also moved to assist in calming the situation, with President Hassan Rouhani calling Russian President Putin on Oct. 10 to discuss the situation.
