Armenia-Azerbaijan war rages on for fifth day, India voices concern and calls for restraint

New Delhi: As the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan rages on for fifth day leading to several casualties, India on Thursday voiced its concern and called for restraint between the two nations.

Calling the development "disturbing", Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava said, "India is concerned over the situation which threatens regional peace and security. We reiterate the need for the sides to cease the hostilities immediately, keep restraint and take all possible steps to maintain peace at the border. India believes any lasting resolution to the conflict can only be achieved peacefully through diplomatic negotiation."

Clashes have broken out between Christian-majority Armenia and Muslim-majority Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but has ethnic Armenians as a majority.

India has good ties with both countries. The North-South international transport corridor goes from Mumbai to Chabahar via Azerbaijan to Moscow, something crucial for India's connectivity plans. India's the then external affairs minister late Sushma Swaraj visited Azerbaijan in 2018.

In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Armenia's PM Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). After the meet, he tweeted, "Held extensive deliberations with PM Nikol Pashinyan. We talked about expanding India-Armenia cooperation in aspects relating to technology, pharmaceuticals and agro-based industries."

During the meet, PM Pashinyan referred to the popularity of Indian movies, music and Yoga in Armenia. Earlier in 2020, when Armenian PM was detected with COVID-19, PM Modi tweeted for a speedy recovery. He said, "In this difficult time of COVID-19 pandemic, wishing Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and his family a speedy recovery. India stands with Armenia in the fight against COVID-19."

Armenia backs India on some key several fronts. In 2019, in response to a Zee Media question in New York on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly that Turkey has been raking Kashmir, Pashinyan said, "In the Kashmir issue, we fully defend the Indian position and it is our firm position."

In the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, experts said that there is a possibility of this war taking a massive form in the coming days, because Russia is going to make an entry in it.

Can give an attack order: Given the kind of atmosphere, it is possible that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on Turkey. Because Russia is with Armenia while Turkey is advocating for Muslim country Azerbaijan. It is reported that Turkey and Pakistan are sending terrorists to fight on behalf of Azerbaijan. If Turkey orders an attack, a terrible war will begin between Russia and Turkey and the war will also be joined by other superpowers.

Scene of destruction: War has been going on for the last four days in Azerbaijan and Armenia, two small countries along the border of Iran-Turkey. The pictures of the explosions and the devastation that came from the battlefield are very distressing. At the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia, these days, only the explosion sound is heard round the clock. Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority country while Christians live in large numbers in Armenia.

This is the root of the dispute: The major reason for the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan describes the mountainous region of this region as its own, while Armenia has occupied it. The area has been under Armenia's occupation since the fighting ended in 1994. In 2016 too, there was a bloody war between the two countries over this area, in which 200 people were killed. Now once again both countries are face to face. Both countries were part of the USSR.

This is a matter of concern: Both sides have started gathering troops at the border. Armenia has claimed to have shot down four Azerbaijan helicopters. Because of the crisis, along with the imposition of martial law in some areas of Azerbaijan, curfew orders have also been given in major cities. It is a matter of concern that Russia, Turkey, France, Iran and Israel are also in danger of being involved in this battle of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and that is why the whole world has started fearing that thsis maybe the start of the World War Three.