Armenia asks Russia for help as clash with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh intensifies

Moscow said it would provide ‘necessary’ help to Yerevan if fighting reached Armenia’s territory

The flare-up of the conflict has left more than a thousand dead, with world powers so far unable to persuade either side to stop the hostilities

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Smoke rises after shelling by Azerbaijan’s artillery during a military conflict outside Stepanakert, the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, on Thursday. Photo: AP

Published: 8:06pm, 31 Oct 2020Updated: 8:06pm, 31 Oct 2020

Russia said on Saturday it would provide “necessary” help to Yerevan in its conflict with Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh if fighting reached Armenia’s territory.

“Russia will render Yerevan all necessary help if clashes take place directly on the territory of Armenia,” the foreign ministry in Moscow said, calling on the warring sides to immediately halt fire.

Earlier Saturday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin “urgent” consultations on security help.

Pasninyan sent the letter to Putin after Armenia and Azerbaijan failed to agree a fresh ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during talks in Geneva on Friday and as fighting continued overnight and Saturday morning.

The announcement, released by the Armenian foreign ministry, raised fears of an escalation in fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Some observers are concerned it risks sucking Yerevan’s ally Russia and Turkey, which backs Baku, into the conflict.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in fierce fighting for more than a month over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan controlled by Armenian separatists in the wake of the break-up of the Soviet Union.