Karabakh

United Nations Security Council members called on Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan to respect a new ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh during a meeting on the disputed region Monday.

Iran Press/America: The council held closed-door discussions on the fighting, which has left hundreds dead since clashes erupted on September 27, at the UN headquarters in New York.

During the meeting, requested by France, Russia, and the United States, the council's 15 members reiterated a plea by UN chief Antonio Guterres for parties to honor a new ceasefire.

"Everyone was saying the same thing: the situation is bad and both sides need to pull back and heed the Secretary-General's calls for a ceasefire," a UN diplomat told AFP.

Russia, which currently holds the council's rotating presidency, is working on a statement that would call for adherence to the ceasefire, diplomats say.

The text will also call on Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan to resume negotiations facilitated by the Minsk Group.

Russia, France, and the US chair the Minsk Group, which was created by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in 1992 to find a solution to the territorial conflict.

The current fighting is the worst in the decades-long dispute since 2016.

The new ceasefire, backed by international mediators, was struggling to hold on Monday as both sides accused each other of fresh attacks.

It was the second agreed after a previous truce thrashed out in Moscow earlier this month never showed any sign of seriously holding.

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