“Armenia and Nargorno-Karabakh are in favor of the military ceasefire and renewing the ceasefire regime accepted in 1994, as well as the return of all military units to their [original] positions they held before April 1, 2016,” Sargsyan’s press service quoted him as saying during a meeting with ambassadors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The Armenian president added that Azerbaijan must hold direct dialogue with the authorities in the de facto republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Azerbaijan must begin direct negotiations with the authorities in Karabakh whether they like it or not. I believe that each case of violations in the ceasefire should become an object of detailed study and assessment since this is the guarantee of an effective negotiations process,” Sargsyan said.
#Karabakh army is ready to discuss the offer to cease the fire in the context of restoring the initial positions.
— Karabakh MOD (@Karabakh_MoD) April 3, 2016
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988, when the Armenian-dominated autonomous region sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.
In September 2015, the conflict escalated, with the sides blaming each other for breaching the truce.
