UN Secretary General calls for cessation of fighting in Garabagh

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed extreme concern over reports of casualties in Garabagh after the escalation of the situation in the region and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, according to TASS.

“The Secretary-General is extremely concerned over the use of military force in the region and reports of casualties, including among the civilian population. He regrets that these worrying developments follow the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance to the local population on 18 September.

The Secretary-General calls in the strongest terms for an immediate end to the fighting, de-escalation, and stricter observance of the 2020 ceasefire and principles of international humanitarian law. He remains concerned about the humanitarian situation on the ground and reiterates his call for urgent steps to facilitate full-fledged access for humanitarian actors to people in need. He calls on the parties to refocus on efforts to help build confidence and secure long-term peace in the region,” the UN Secretary General’s office said in a statement.

Hostilities returned to the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan on September 19 after the Azerbaijan Armed Forces launched a local anti-terrorist operation following intensified provocations by the illegal Armenian armed formations stationed in the region.

The operation came on the heels of the incidents that resulted in injuries and deaths on the Azerbaijani side. Deadly mine incidents in the Khojavand district in the morning on September 19 killed four police officers and two road construction workers. While, later on the same day, two servicemen of the Azerbaijani army stationed in the Aghdam district were wounded by the Armenian armed gangs located in the Azerbaijani territories temporarily monitored by the Russian peacekeeping contingent.