YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia’s prime minister says that Azerbaijan’s aggressive stance in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh leaves no room for diplomacy. Nikol Pashinian has urged citizens to sign up as military volunteers to protect the country and urged local mayors to organize volunteer units. Speaking in a live video address Wednesday, Pashinian charged that Azerbaijan’s uncompromising posture has shattered hopes for a political settlement. He also accused Turkey of fueling the escalation of hostilities. Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war ended in 1994. The current fighting that started on Sept. 27 marks the biggest escalation in the conflict since the war’s end.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this image taken from video released by Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, Azerbaijan's army artillery fire during fighting with forces of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said that to end hostilities Armenian forces must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh. He has insisted that Azerbaijan has the right to reclaim its territory by force after nearly three decades of international mediation yielded no progress. (Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry via AP)
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