Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, starting from midday on Saturday, October 10.

The Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Foreign Ministers – Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Jeyhun Bayramov and Sergey Lavrov – held consultations on Friday.

According to a statement from the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the sides agreed on the steps below:

1. To declare a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes starting from 12 p.m. on October 10 for the exchange of the prisoners of war, other people detained and bodies of those killed, with the mediation and in accordance with the criteria of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

2. Further parameters of the ceasefire will be agreed upon additionally.

3. The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, on the basis of the fundamental principles of the settlement, are launching substantive negotiations with the aim of achieving early peaceful resolution.

4. The sides reiterate the inalterability of the format of the peace process.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey, launched a large-scale offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. International and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages, as well as the iconic Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi.