Armenia and Azerbaijan have announced a third attempt to establish a cease-fire in their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh starting from 8 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Monday.The announcement comes after two earlier Russia-brokered cease-fire agreements frayed immediately after taking forces, with both sides accusing each other of violations.The new agreement was announced Sunday night in a joint statement by the governments of the United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan.Ali Ibrahimov works on the ruins of his home, which was hit by a rocket, in the city of Ganja, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18, 2020.The statement said the agreement came after a meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E. Biegun. The two ministers “reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to implement and abide by the humanitarian ceasefire” agreed upon earlier this month, the statement said.Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994. The latest fighting that began on Sept. 27 has involved heavy artillery, rockets and drones, killing hundreds in the largest escalation of hostilities between the South Caucasus neighbors in more than a quarter-century.
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