Russia says to provide ‘necessary help’ to Yerevan if fighting reaches Armenia

Russia said on Saturday it would provide “necessary” assistance to Yerevan in its conflict with Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh if fighting reached Armenia’s territory.

“Russia will render Yerevan all necessary assistance if clashes take place directly on the territory of Armenia,” the foreign ministry in Moscow said, calling on the warring sides to immediately halt fire.

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Earlier Saturday Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin “urgent” consultations on security assistance.

Russia has a military base in Armenia and has a defense treaty with Yerevan.

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Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a bitter conflict over Karabakh since Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized control of the mountainous province in a 1990s war that left 30,000 people dead.

The current clashes broke out on September 27 and fighting has persisted despite the repeated international attempts to secure a ceasefire.

Russia has previously said that its defense pact with Armenia does not extend to the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.