Azerbaijan and Armenia have resisted calls for a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. The United States, Russia and France chair a group, the OSCE Minsk Group, founded in the early 1990s to try to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The BBC reports that they jointly condemned the fighting in the southern Caucasus. The area disputed is officially part of Azerbaijan but is governed by ethnic Armenians.

Azerbaijan ally, Turkey, however, dismissed demands for a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Russia is part of a military alliance with Armenia and even has a military base in the country. According to the BBC, however, it also has close ties to the government of Azerbaijan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, a ceasefire was only possible if Armenia ended its occupation of Azerbaijani territory. He added, “Given that the USA, Russia and France have neglected this problem for nearly 30 years, it is unacceptable that they are involved in a search for a ceasefire.”

Further, Turkey has disputed the claim by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that about 900 Syrian mercenaries had been transported to Azerbaijan by Turkish security companies. The allegations have also been denied by Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the US. meanwhile, the Observatory also said that Armenian-born fighters in Syria have been transported to Armenia to join in the fighting.

Despite growing international concern, heavy shelling persisted overnight.  At least 100 people have reportedly been killed with hundreds more wounded in what is the fifth day of fighting.

Umm Muhammed Umar