Pakistan calls for honouring 'humantarian conditions' during ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh dispute

Pakistan on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire announced in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and hoped "humanitarian conditions" in this period will be honoured.

"The recently announced ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia is a positive development for peace and stability," said a statement by the Foreign Office.

"We hope that the humanitarian conditions agreed upon by the parties would be honoured."

According to the statement: "Pakistan believes that sustainable peace between the two parties would depend on the complete and comprehensive implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions and withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijani territories."

To that end, Pakistan will "continue to stand by the brotherly nation of Azerbaijan", the statement added.

Ceasefire after two weeks of clases

After nearly two weeks of fierce clashes, the two arch-rivals, Armenia and Azerbaijan reached a ceasefire deal and agreed to initiate "substantive talks" over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Bitter fighting in the central Asian region has claimed hundreds of lives, forced thousands to flee, and stirred fears of a full-blown war that could suck in regional powers Turkey and Russia.

Speaking after 11 hours of Moscow-mediated talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the warring sides had agreed to a ceasefire from "12 hours 00 minutes on October 10 on humanitarian grounds."

It was not immediately clear whether the pause in fighting would come into effect at noon in Moscow or the local time in Karabakh.

During the ceasefire – mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross – the parties will exchange bodies and prisoners, Lavrov said, reading from a statement.

"Concrete parameters of the ceasefire will be agreed separately," the statement added.

Russia's top diplomat also said that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to start negotiating a peaceful solution to the territorial dispute.