Armenia-Azerbaijan clash: No military solution to any conflict, says India

Amid fresh fighting along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, India has called upon the “aggressor side” to “immediately cease hostilities” and said there can be no military solution to any conflict.

In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India believes that bilateral disputes should be settled through diplomacy and dialogue.

“We have seen reports of attacks along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including targeting of civilian settlements and infrastructure on September 12-13. We call upon the aggressor side to immediately cease hostilities,” Bagchi said on Tuesday (September 13).

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He was responding to media queries on the reports of the attacks.

“We believe that bilateral disputes should be settled through diplomacy and dialogue. There can be no military solution to any conflict. We encourage both sides to pursue talks to arrive at a lasting and peaceful solution,” Bagchi said.

Our response to media queries regarding reports of attacks along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border:https://t.co/ScurQwOTty pic.twitter.com/YazOHrCzTd

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 13, 2022

There has been a raging military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a strategically located mountainous enclave.

Armenia said around 50 of its soldiers were killed in clashes with Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Nagorno-Karabakh is known to be a part of Azerbaijan. However, the majority of the people living in the enclave are Armenians.

Armenia took control of some parts of the territory in the 1990s. The situation deteriorated in September 2020 after Azerbaijan attempted to recapture certain areas.

(With Agency inputs)