Armenia, Azerbaijan agree on ceasefire to end renewed deadly border clashes
Global News
The ceasefire declaration followed two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities between the two longtime adversaries in nearly two years.
Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiated a cease-fire to end a flare-up of fighting that has killed 155 soldiers from both sides, a senior Armenian official said early Thursday.
Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, announced the truce in televised remarks, saying it took effect hours earlier, at 8 p.m. (1600 GMT) Wednesday. A previous cease-fire that Russia brokered Tuesday quickly failed.
Several hours before Grigoryan’s announcement, Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported that shelling had ceased but it didn’t mention the cease-fire deal.
There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijan’s government.
The cease-fire declaration followed two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities between the two longtime adversaries in nearly two years.
Late Wednesday, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Armenia’s capital accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of betraying his country by trying to appease Azerbaijan and demanding his resignation.
Armenia and Azerbaijan traded blame for the hostilities, with Armenian authorities accusing Baku of unprovoked aggression and Azerbaijani officials saying their country was responding to Armenian shelling.
Pashinyan said 105 of his country’s soldiers had been killed since fighting erupted early Tuesday, while Azerbaijan said it lost 50. Azerbaijani authorities said they were ready to unilaterally hand over the bodies of up to 100 Armenian soldiers.
In a statement, Pope Francis noted that any bishop who turns 75 is automatically requested to offer his resignation, the Pope then decides whether to accept the offer.
The warring sides have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase, in which Hamas says it will release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire.
U.S.-Russia agreed to restore embassy staffing and create a high-level team to negotiate peace in Ukraine peace and promote economic cooperation.
The U.S. State Department removed the phrase "we do not support Taiwan independence” from the fact sheet last week, drawing ire from Beijing.
The talks, scheduled for Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, mark another consequential step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia.
The ceasefire's first phase is set to end in two weeks and the second phase has yet to be negotiated, though talks were meant to begin two weeks ago.
The proposal did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, according to one current and one former senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks.
European leaders are reeling after Trump's decision to upend years of U.S. policy by holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Sources told Reuters that the United States had sent a document to European capitals asking questions that include possible future troop contributions.
It is the sixth swap since the ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19. Before Saturday, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners were freed.
The latest fighting is part of a major escalation of a conflict over power, identity and resources dating back to the 1990s Rwandan genocide.
The red and white has been a symbol of national pride for many decades, and in the wake of Donald Trump's anti-Canadian rhetoric, a sense of patriotism is sweeping the country.
U.S. Vice-President JD Vance warned governments that internal threats to democracy are a greater threats than external antagonists like China and Russia.