Armenia and Azerbaijan have declared a ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. An armed conflict broke out there on Tuesday after Azerbaijan invaded the region. Russia reports that after negotiations it has agreed that the ethnic Armenians will lay down their weapons.
They will also disband their militias and give up heavy weapons, as the Azerbaijani government in Baku has demanded, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported. Armenia agrees to this after a series of heavy losses. The statement also mentions the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Karabakh.
According to the Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, an agreement has been reached on security. Discussions will continue on Thursday about the future of the region and the ethnic Armenians who live there, the statement said.
The region is internationally seen as part of Azerbaijan, but the many Armenians who live there prefer to belong to the neighboring country. It threatened to secede, which Azerbaijan tried to prevent by force. At least dozens of people have died in the area in recent days. Hundreds of people were injured, including civilians.
Read more about the long-running conflict here: Why a neighborly dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan can inflame a region
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