Armenia, Azerbaijan agree on cease-fire

MOSCOW: With Russia’s mediation, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a cease-fire in NagornoKarabakh starting Saturday following two weeks of heavy fighting that marked the worst outbreak of hostilities in the separatist region in more than a quarter-century. The countries’ foreign ministers said in a statement that the truce is intended to exchange prisoners and recover the dead, adding that specific details will be agreed on later.

MOSCOW: Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire from noon Saturday and to begin “substantive talks” over Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after marathon negotiations in Moscow.

Speaking after 11 hours of talks between the foreign ministers of arch-enemies Armenia and Azerbaijan, Lavrov said the warring sides agreed on a ceasefire from “12 hours 00 minutes on October 10 on humanitarian grounds.”

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed to AFP that the ceasefire would begin from noon Saturday.

During the ceasefire — mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross — the parties will exchange dead bodies and prisoners, Lavrov said, reading from a statement.

“Concrete parameters of the ceasefire will be agreed separately,” the statement said.

Russia’s top diplomat also said that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to start seeking a lasting solution to the territorial dispute. “Azerbaijan and Armenia begin substantive negotiations with the purpose of achieving a peaceful settlement as soon as possible,” Lavrov told reporters, adding that such talks will be mediated by the Minsk Group of international negotiators.