Azerbaijan sets conditions for ceasing "anti-terrorist measures" in Nagorno-Karabakh

In a recent update from the Azerbaijani news outlet "Report," Azerbaijan has expressed its readiness to engage in discussions with Armenian representatives from Karabakh. However, the conditions laid out by Baku are stringent. All Armenian armed groups in the region must surrender by raising white flags and handing over their weapons, and the local administration must be disbanded.

As cited by the news site, the Azerbaijani government has sternly cautioned that should these conditions be unmet, they are prepared to extend their "anti-terrorist measures" to the fullest extent.

This development comes at a time when the Ombudsman for Human Rights in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Gegham Stepanyan, took to Twitter to declare that the Yeghtsahogh community, home to 150 residents, is under direct Azerbaijani assault. Stepanyan revealed that the Azerbaijani Air Force had decimated the community's school, and the residents were trapped without evacuation.

Amidst the turmoil, Armenia's Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has been actively reaching out to international leaders. He held discussions over the phone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, emphasizing the dire need for peaceful de-escalation in the region, as reported by the ARMENPRESS.

Similarly, in a telephonic conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, both leaders underscored the importance of peace and the impermissibility of using force. Macron has further intimated his intentions of initiating an emergency UN Security Council session concerning the escalating situation, as relayed by Pashinyan's spokesperson, Nazeli Baghdasaryan.