Interview
Nasir Mammadov, Charge d'affaires at the Azerbaijan embassy in Baghdad speaks to Rudaw TV on October 12, 2020. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq's government has yet to state its position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan to Baku officials, according to Azerbaijan's ambassador to Baghdad.
"We still have not received anything - any statement from Iraqi official side," Nasir Mammadov, Charge d'affaires at the Azerbaijan embassy in Baghdad, told Rudaw's Dildar Herki via Skype on Monday.
"But I think very soon we will get the official position of Iraq."
Both Iraq and Azerbaijan are Muslim-majority countries and are members of some pan-Islamic institutions, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. But Baghdad also maintains relations with Christian-majority Armenia, and Iraq is home to thousands of Armenians.
On September 27, Armenia and Azerbaijan restarted their armed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnically Armenian-majority province that declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991.
Periodic fighting worsened after Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands from both sides until a ceasefire was reached in 1994.
The clashes have resulted in the deaths of more than 500 people, including civilians.
With Russian mediation, both sides agreed on Saturday to a ceasefire and to begin "substantive talks" over Nagorno-Karabakh.
However, fighting resumed on Sunday, killing at least seven people. Each blames the other for violating the ceasefire.
By Sunday, "more than 1,000 houses were also demolished or seriously damaged by the Armenian army," Mammadov told Rudaw.
"We still have not received anything - any statement from Iraqi official side," Nasir Mammadov, Charge d'affaires at the Azerbaijan embassy in Baghdad, told Rudaw's Dildar Herki via Skype on Monday.
"But I think very soon we will get the official position of Iraq."
Both Iraq and Azerbaijan are Muslim-majority countries and are members of some pan-Islamic institutions, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. But Baghdad also maintains relations with Christian-majority Armenia, and Iraq is home to thousands of Armenians.
On September 27, Armenia and Azerbaijan restarted their armed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnically Armenian-majority province that declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991.
Periodic fighting worsened after Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands from both sides until a ceasefire was reached in 1994.
The clashes have resulted in the deaths of more than 500 people, including civilians.
With Russian mediation, both sides agreed on Saturday to a ceasefire and to begin "substantive talks" over Nagorno-Karabakh.
However, fighting resumed on Sunday, killing at least seven people. Each blames the other for violating the ceasefire.
By Sunday, "more than 1,000 houses were also demolished or seriously damaged by the Armenian army," Mammadov told Rudaw.
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