By , YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - The Kremlin issued a new appeal for an end to hostilities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday after Moscow’s foreign intelligence chief said the mountain enclave could become a launch pad for Islamist militants to enter Russia.Moscow expressed alarm after the deadliest fighting in more than 25 years between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces entered a 10th day, though the French news agency AFP later said Armenia had offered concessions only if Azerbaijan was ready to do so.AFP gave no details of the offer it said had been made by Prime Minister Nikol...…By , YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - The Kremlin issued a new appeal for an end to hostilities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday after Moscow’s foreign intelligence chief said the mountain enclave could become a launch pad for Islamist militants to enter Russia.Moscow expressed alarm after the deadliest fighting in more than 25 years between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces entered a 10th day, though the French news agency AFP later said Armenia had offered concessions only if Azerbaijan was ready to do so.AFP gave no details of the offer it said had been made by Prime Minister Nikol...WW…

By , BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan will press ahead with plans to feed natural gas into an extended pipeline network to southern Europe, a senior official said, even as conflict rages for a sixth week in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.Elshad Nassirov, vice-president of Azeri national energy company SOCAR, told Reuters the $5 billion extension of the Southern Gas Corridor network would be ready this month to take up to 10 billion cubic metres a year from the Shah Deniz field.“In just two weeks, a new piece of infrastructure will be ready,” Nassirov said, referring to the Trans-Adriatic...…By , BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan will press ahead with plans to feed natural gas into an extended pipeline network to southern Europe, a senior official said, even as conflict rages for a sixth week in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.Elshad Nassirov, vice-president of Azeri national energy company SOCAR, told Reuters the $5 billion extension of the Southern Gas Corridor network would be ready this month to take up to 10 billion cubic metres a year from the Shah Deniz field.“In just two weeks, a new piece of infrastructure will be ready,” Nassirov said, referring to the Trans-Adriatic...WW…

By , YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - Armenia and Azerbaijan once more accused each other of bombing residential areas on Saturday, in defiance of a pact to avoid the deliberate targeting of civilians in and around the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.Shelling was reported by both sides within hours of the latest agreement to defuse the conflict, reached after talks in Geneva between the two countries’ foreign ministers and envoys from France, Russia and the United States.The agreement with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group fell short of what would have been a fourth ceasefire since...…By , YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - Armenia and Azerbaijan once more accused each other of bombing residential areas on Saturday, in defiance of a pact to avoid the deliberate targeting of civilians in and around the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.Shelling was reported by both sides within hours of the latest agreement to defuse the conflict, reached after talks in Geneva between the two countries’ foreign ministers and envoys from France, Russia and the United States.The agreement with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group fell short of what would have been a fourth ceasefire since...WW…

By , YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Turkey should be among countries involved in talks to end fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, as Azerbaijan and Armenia again accused each other on Thursday of shelling civilians in and around the mountain enclave.With more peace talks scheduled for Geneva this week, the European Union said an escalation in the month-old conflict was “unacceptable” and called for a lasting settlement after the collapse of three ceasefires.The fighting has been the worst in the South Caucasus since about 30,000 people were killed in a 1991-94 war...…By , YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Turkey should be among countries involved in talks to end fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, as Azerbaijan and Armenia again accused each other on Thursday of shelling civilians in and around the mountain enclave.With more peace talks scheduled for Geneva this week, the European Union said an escalation in the month-old conflict was “unacceptable” and called for a lasting settlement after the collapse of three ceasefires.The fighting has been the worst in the South Caucasus since about 30,000 people were killed in a 1991-94 war...WW…

By , BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other of killing civilians by shelling cities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday, in an escalation of a month-long conflict over the mountain enclave that has defied three ceasefires.Azerbaijan said 21 people were killed when Armenian shells hit the town of Barda, northeast of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian-backed officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Azeri shells had fallen on the enclave’s two largest cities, killing one person.Both sides denied each other’s claims.The worst fighting in the South Caucasus for nearly 30...…By , BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other of killing civilians by shelling cities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday, in an escalation of a month-long conflict over the mountain enclave that has defied three ceasefires.Azerbaijan said 21 people were killed when Armenian shells hit the town of Barda, northeast of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian-backed officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Azeri shells had fallen on the enclave’s two largest cities, killing one person.Both sides denied each other’s claims.The worst fighting in the South Caucasus for nearly 30...WW…

By , BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - A U.S.-backed ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh was in jeopardy on Monday as Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces renewed fighting in the mountain enclave, defying international efforts to end a conflict that has killed hundreds in the last month.Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said in a televised address that he wanted to resolve the conflict “by political and military means” after both sides accused each other of breaking a truce agreed hours earlier in Washington.Speaking live on Facebook later on Monday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he did not...…By , BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - A U.S.-backed ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh was in jeopardy on Monday as Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces renewed fighting in the mountain enclave, defying international efforts to end a conflict that has killed hundreds in the last month.Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said in a televised address that he wanted to resolve the conflict “by political and military means” after both sides accused each other of breaking a truce agreed hours earlier in Washington.Speaking live on Facebook later on Monday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he did not...WW…

By BAKU (Reuters) - New fighting erupted between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces on Sunday over the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh as both sides blamed each other for blocking a peaceful settlement to the conflict.Armenia accused Azeri forces of shelling civilian settlements. Baku denied killing civilians and said it was ready to implement a ceasefire, provided that Armenian forces withdrew from the battlefield.The weekend’s clashes in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians, came after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo...…By BAKU (Reuters) - New fighting erupted between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces on Sunday over the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh as both sides blamed each other for blocking a peaceful settlement to the conflict.Armenia accused Azeri forces of shelling civilian settlements. Baku denied killing civilians and said it was ready to implement a ceasefire, provided that Armenian forces withdrew from the battlefield.The weekend’s clashes in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians, came after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo...WW…

By , YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - Armenia’s prime minister said on Wednesday he saw no possibility of a diplomatic solution at this stage in the conflict with Azerbaijan over the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.His comments, after Azerbaijan’s president said he believed the conflict could be solved militarily, increased doubts over a diplomatic initiative by major powers to bring peace to the South Caucasus region.In the latest flare-up of the decades-old conflict, hundreds of people have been killed since Sept. 27 in clashes in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but...…By , YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - Armenia’s prime minister said on Wednesday he saw no possibility of a diplomatic solution at this stage in the conflict with Azerbaijan over the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.His comments, after Azerbaijan’s president said he believed the conflict could be solved militarily, increased doubts over a diplomatic initiative by major powers to bring peace to the South Caucasus region.In the latest flare-up of the decades-old conflict, hundreds of people have been killed since Sept. 27 in clashes in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but...WW…

By , BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - A new ceasefire in the mountain territory of Nagorno-Karabakh was in jeopardy on Monday with Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces reporting shelling and heavy fighting.Among accusations on both sides, Azerbaijan said it had “neutralised” a missile fired by Armenian forces at an oil pipeline in Azerbaijan on Sunday, several hours after the ceasefire went into force. Armenia denied firing it.The ceasefire was agreed on Saturday after an earlier deal brokered by Russia failed to halt the deadliest clashes in the South Caucasus since the 1990s.So far, the main...…By , BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - A new ceasefire in the mountain territory of Nagorno-Karabakh was in jeopardy on Monday with Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces reporting shelling and heavy fighting.Among accusations on both sides, Azerbaijan said it had “neutralised” a missile fired by Armenian forces at an oil pipeline in Azerbaijan on Sunday, several hours after the ceasefire went into force. Armenia denied firing it.The ceasefire was agreed on Saturday after an earlier deal brokered by Russia failed to halt the deadliest clashes in the South Caucasus since the 1990s.So far, the main...WW…

By BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan has started commercial natural gas supplies to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the energy ministry said on Thursday, beginning its push into the lucrative energy market dominated by Russia.Russia controls 34% of Europe’s gas market and plans to raise gas exports to Europe, including Turkey, to 183 billion cubic metres (bcm) next year from the 171-172 bcm expected this year.TAP is a part of the $40 billion Southern Gas Corridor, stretching 3,500 km from Azerbaijan to Europe and drawing from Azerbaijan’s giant Shah Deniz II field in the Caspian...…By BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan has started commercial natural gas supplies to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the energy ministry said on Thursday, beginning its push into the lucrative energy market dominated by Russia.Russia controls 34% of Europe’s gas market and plans to raise gas exports to Europe, including Turkey, to 183 billion cubic metres (bcm) next year from the 171-172 bcm expected this year.TAP is a part of the $40 billion Southern Gas Corridor, stretching 3,500 km from Azerbaijan to Europe and drawing from Azerbaijan’s giant Shah Deniz II field in the Caspian...WW…