Stepanakert, Azerbaijan, Oct 10 (AFP/APP):Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on Saturday to a ceasefire and to begin “substantive talks” over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh after nearly two weeks of fierce clashes. Bitter fighting in the central Asian region has claimed hundreds of lives, forced thousands to flee, and stirred fears of a full-blown war that could suck in regional powers Turkey and Russia. Speaking after 11 hours of Moscow-mediated talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the warring sides had agreed to a ceasefire from “12 hours 00 minutes on October 10 on humanitarian grounds.” It was not immediately clear whether the pause in fighting would come into effect at noon in Moscow or the local time in Karabakh. During the ceasefire — mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross — the parties will exchange bodies and prisoners, Lavrov said, reading from a statement. “Concrete parameters of the ceasefire will be agreed separately,” the statement added. Russia’s top diplomat also said that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to start negotiating a peaceful solution to the territorial dispute. “Azerbaijan and Armenia begin substantive negotiations with the purpose of achieving a peaceful settlement as soon as possible,” … Continue reading Armenia, Azerbaijan agree ceasefire, start of ‘substantive’ talks