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Re: Regional geopolitics
Saturday, April 02, 2016
Armenia
Heavy Fighting Reported In Nagorno-Karabakh
Kerry Calls For Karabakh 'Resolution'
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called for "an ultimate resolution" of the decades-old Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
White House Calls For Talks To Settle Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
By RFE/RL
April 02, 2016
Heavy fighting has been reported in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh inside Azerbaijan.
The Armenian military has accused Azerbaijani forces of launching a major offensive, involving tanks, heavy artillery, and helicopter gunships.
The Azerbaijani military said its frontline forces had first come under "intensive fire" overnight and that the Azerbaijani Army had to take "urgent measures" to respond.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said there were "casualties on both sides" as fighting appeared to be continuing.
The ministry called it the most serious escalation of fighting in the conflict since a 1994 truce and called on the United States, Russia, and France -- all involved in international efforts to mediate the conflict -- to urgently intervene.
Nagorno-Karabakh's Defense Ministry said "fierce clashes are taking place along the entire line of contact."
Karabakh forces also claim to have shot down an Azerbaijani military helicopter. That report has not been independently confirmed.
The conflict broke out in the dying years of the Soviet Union but efforts to reach a permanent settlement have failed.
The fighting comes amid fresh appeals from Washington to resolve the conflict.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan separately on April 1 and called on them to peacefully settle the conflict.
Biden "expressed concern about continued violence, called for dialogue, and emphasized the importance of a comprehensive settlement for the long-term stability, security, and prosperity of the region," the White House said.
Both of the Caucasus leaders, in turn, said they encouraged the United States to take an active role in reaching a settlement.
Biden echoed an earlier appeal by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who called for "an ultimate resolution" of the conflict during talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 31 in Washington.
At his meeting with Kerry, Aliyev thanked the United States for trying to end the conflict but said it could only be resolved through a UN Security Council resolution calling for the "immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops" from Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan after a 1988-94 war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Internationally mediated negotiations with the involvement of the OSCE's so-called Minsk Group have failed to result in a resolution. The Minsk Group is co-chaired by France, Russia, and the United States.
Saturday, April 02, 2016
Armenia
Heavy Fighting Reported In Nagorno-Karabakh
Kerry Calls For Karabakh 'Resolution'
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called for "an ultimate resolution" of the decades-old Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
White House Calls For Talks To Settle Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
By RFE/RL
April 02, 2016
Heavy fighting has been reported in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh inside Azerbaijan.
The Armenian military has accused Azerbaijani forces of launching a major offensive, involving tanks, heavy artillery, and helicopter gunships.
The Azerbaijani military said its frontline forces had first come under "intensive fire" overnight and that the Azerbaijani Army had to take "urgent measures" to respond.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said there were "casualties on both sides" as fighting appeared to be continuing.
The ministry called it the most serious escalation of fighting in the conflict since a 1994 truce and called on the United States, Russia, and France -- all involved in international efforts to mediate the conflict -- to urgently intervene.
Nagorno-Karabakh's Defense Ministry said "fierce clashes are taking place along the entire line of contact."
Karabakh forces also claim to have shot down an Azerbaijani military helicopter. That report has not been independently confirmed.
The conflict broke out in the dying years of the Soviet Union but efforts to reach a permanent settlement have failed.
The fighting comes amid fresh appeals from Washington to resolve the conflict.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan separately on April 1 and called on them to peacefully settle the conflict.
Biden "expressed concern about continued violence, called for dialogue, and emphasized the importance of a comprehensive settlement for the long-term stability, security, and prosperity of the region," the White House said.
Both of the Caucasus leaders, in turn, said they encouraged the United States to take an active role in reaching a settlement.
Biden echoed an earlier appeal by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who called for "an ultimate resolution" of the conflict during talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 31 in Washington.
At his meeting with Kerry, Aliyev thanked the United States for trying to end the conflict but said it could only be resolved through a UN Security Council resolution calling for the "immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops" from Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan after a 1988-94 war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Internationally mediated negotiations with the involvement of the OSCE's so-called Minsk Group have failed to result in a resolution. The Minsk Group is co-chaired by France, Russia, and the United States.
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