All news

Ceasefire observed along entire contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh - defense ministry

According to the defense ministry, Russian peacekeepers continue to ensure safe return of people to their homes and offer humanitarian assistance

MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. The ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh is generally observed, the Russian defense ministry said on Sunday.

"The ceasefire is being observed along the entire contact line," it said in its daily bulletin.

According to the bulletin, Russian peacekeepers continue to ensure safe return of people to their homes and offer humanitarian assistance.

"During the past day, Russian peacekeepers ensure safe return of 634 refugees to Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia," it said, adding that more than 38,300 people have returned to Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Saturday, the Russian defense ministry reported the first ceasefire violation in Nagorno-Karabakh since early November. Earlier on Saturday, the Armenian defense ministry said that the Azerbaijani army had attempted an offensive in the direction of the villages of Hin Taglar and Htsaberd in the south of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. Under the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region.