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Still from a video published by the Defense Ministry of Armenia: the video captures the moment of destruction of vehicles belonging to the Azerbaijani armed forces / ARMENIA DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE / PAP / EPA
On Sunday afternoon, Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev signed decree on the introduction of martial law on the entire territory of the country at midnight on Monday.
A curfew has also been introduced in many cities, including the capital city of Baku, valid between 21:00 and 6:00.
Earlier on Sunday Martial law was imposed by Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and they also announced general mobilization .
According to the statements of representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh authorities, they died in the Sunday battles of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops at least 16 soldiers and a few civilians.
militants from Syria also fought.
information – from the Syrian Human Rights Observatory – as “nonsensical”.
the clashes between the forces of both countries were the toughest since 2016. Fighting has renewed concerns about stability in the South Caucasus, which is a corridor for pipelines transporting oil and gas to global markets .
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The armed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in 1988, before the collapse of the USSR, and the clashes turned into the war between the already independent Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The enclave, unrecognized by the world , is mostly inhabited and controlled by Armenians, but formally – although it has declared secession – it remains part of Azerbaijan.
The armed conflict over this territory has already swallowed up about 30,000 fatalities.
In 1994, an armistice was signed, but clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan forces have intensified in recent months.
Both countries they accuse each other of escalating the conflict.
According to Yerevan, Azerbaijani forces attacked civilian settlements in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In turn, the Ministry of Defense in Baku emphasizes that Armenia’s armed forces “carried out large provocations” and fired on positions of the Azerbaijani army and border towns.
On Sunday UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Azerbaijan and Armenia-backed separatist forces of Nagorno-Karabakh to “immediate cessation of fighting, engage in de-escalating tension and quick return to negotiations. “
