Nagorno-Karabakh declares that 18 of its civilians have been killed in confrontations with Azerbaijan
RIA Novosti news agency quoted what an official in the breakaway region said on Sunday that the fire from Azeri forces killed eighteen Nagorno-Karabakh civilians and more than 90 were injured in the last week.
It should be noted that the fighting started last Sunday and has increased to its worst level since the 1990s, when almost 30,000 people were killed, which led to international anxiety over stability in the South Caucasus, where pipelines transport Azeri oil and gas to world markets.
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, called on Sunday Armenia to determine a timetable for removing from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding Azeri areas, and declared that Azerbaijan would not stop military action until that happened.
Otherwise, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appealed on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh and reported that Moscow was ready to provide help for a solution to the conflict through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
In fact, the conflict between the two sides threatens to involve other regional powers as Azerbaijan is backed by Turkey, and Armenia has a defense deal with Russia.
