Lavrov: Russia Urges Countries Not to Send Mercenaries From Middle East to Karabakh

Russia urges external players, including Turkey, to use their powers to prevent mercenaries from the Middle East being sent to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Lavrov said, adding that there are about 2,000 mercenaries in the area where hostilities are taking place.

He also noted that the work of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk group continues, though how specifically it can be ensured that a ceasefire is observed in Karabakh has not been agreed yet.

The interview comes amid the ongoing armed hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh – an Armenian-inhabited enclave inside Azerbaijan which exercises de facto independence – that have been ongoing since 27 September. Three internationally arranged humanitarian ceasefires had been announced since then, but hostilities have still not ceased.

Yerevan and Baku started accusing each other of launching the military action in September. Reports indicate that civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh are bearing the brunt of artillery shelling. The conflict has already left dozens killed and hundreds injured.

Armenia has declared martial law and called for a general mobilization, and Azerbaijan has announced partial mobilization and partial martial law.

The OSCE Minsk Group — co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States — has been mediating peace in Nagorno-Karabakh since 1992.