Azeri-Armenian ceasefire to hold during Sochi Olympics

Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to avoid violations of their 20-year ceasefire during the 2014 Winter Olympics, which starts tomorrow in Russia’s Black Sea resort town of Sochi, said James Warlick, the US mediator in peace talks.

“Good news,” Warlick wrote on Twitter. “The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan re-committed to respecting the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire, especially during Olympics.”

Warlick, along with the Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, visited the region this week and met the presidents.

At least four people were killed in armed clashes along the ceasefire line after tensions escalated on Jan. 20. 

Armenians captured nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet Union’s breakup in 1991.

About 12,000 Azerbaijani nationals were killed and 1 million displaced before Russia brokered a ceasefire in 1994.

The sides have yet to sign a peace agreement despite more than 20 years of talks.

ANN.Az