Armenia urges int'l community to recognise Nagorno-Karabakh's independence

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on the international community to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan told Euronews that in order to stop the humanitarian disaster and escalation of this conflict, the international community must act decisively and recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The fighting on the contact line in Karabakh began on September 27. Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of unleashing hostilities, Karabakh reports artillery shelling of peaceful settlements of the unrecognized republic, including its capital, Stepanakert. Armenia has declared martial law and - for the first time - general mobilization, claiming that Ankara is actively supporting Baku. Partial mobilization was introduced in Azerbaijan.

The leaders of Russia, the United States and France called on the opposing sides to end the clashes and to commit themselves to begin negotiations without preconditions. Turkey has stated that it will provide Azerbaijan with any support it requests amid another aggravation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its secession from the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic. During armed confrontation in 1992-1994, Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh and its adjacent areas. Since 1992, talks have been ongoing on peaceful settlement of the conflict with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group, led by Russia, the United States and France.