Karabakh Conflict: Azerbaijan, Armenia Reach New US-Brokered Ceasefire

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a new US-brokered ceasefire in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, the BBC reports. 

The agreement was reached following intense negotiations, the US State Department said, adding that US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun met the foreign ministers of the two countries on Saturday.

Two ceasefires agreed earlier this month over the conflict brokered by Russia were broken almost immediately.

"On Sunday, a joint statement released by the US, Armenian and Azerbaijani governments said the "humanitarian ceasefire" would begin at 08:00 local time (04:00 GMT) on Monday.

"The announcement comes following discussions between US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov," reads the article. 

Earlier on Friday, October 23, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. 

The United States has officially voiced neutrality and is a co-chair of the so-called Minsk Group with Russia and France on Nagorno-Karabakh.

The military confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan started on September 27 over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.