The European Union expresses regret and condemns the recent strikes on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja and calls on the sides to the conflict to honor the ceasefire, the bloc's foreign affairs spokesman, Peter Stano, said on Saturday
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2020) The European Union expresses regret and condemns the recent strikes on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja and calls on the sides to the conflict to honor the ceasefire, the bloc's foreign affairs spokesman, Peter Stano, said on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Azerbaijani presidential assistant Hikmet Hajiyev said that the cities of Ganja and Mingecevir came under Armenian missile attacks. According to the emergency services, 13 bodies have been recovered from the rubble after the attack, while over 50 people were injured. The Armenian Defense Ministry maintains that its military has not shelled the Azerbaijani territory.
"The European Union deplores the strikes on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja during the night of 16-17 October resulting in civilian loss of life and serious injury. All targeting of civilians and civilian installations by either party must stop. The ceasefire of 10 October must be fully respected without delay," Stano said in a statement.
Hostilities on the contact line in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh have been ongoing since September 27, with Yerevan and Baku accusing each other of starting the firing. The international community strongly condemned the escalation and called on the parties to settle the differences via dialogue, while Turkey has pledged its full support for Azerbaijan.
The hours-long talks between foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan held in Moscow last week led to a humanitarian ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh that started on October 10. The parties agreed on a pause in order to exchange prisoners and the bodies of killed soldiers, as well as negotiate the additional details of the ceasefire. However, hostilities resumed on the same day.