EU calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to respect ceasefire

(Reuters) – The European Union urged Armenia and Azerbaijan on Wednesday to disengage their troops and respect the ceasefire agreed the previous day, after reports that seven Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in border clashes.

The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, discussed the situation in phone calls with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan, and called for urgent de-escalation, according to an EU statement.

The bloc also reiterated its offer to work with both countries to overcome long-running tensions between them.

On Tuesday, they agreed to a ceasefire at their border after Russia urged them to step back from confrontation following the deadliest clash since a war last year over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave that killed at least 6,500 people.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Editing by John Chalmers)