Azerbaijan and Armenia clash over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region

Clashes have broken out between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, in which at least one Azerbaijani helicopter has been shot down.

Armenian Prime Minister Nicole Pashinyan said Azerbaijan was attacked by air and artillery.

Azerbaijan said it was responding to a large-scale shelling campaign across the front line.

The long-running conflict has flared up again in recent months.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan were part of the Soviet Union before the fall of 1991.

For four decades they have been embroiled in an unresolved conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but controlled by ethnic Armenians.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said the attack on civilian settlements, including the regional capital Stepanakert, began at 8:10 a.m. local time (04:10 GMT).

He said he has shot down two helicopters and three drones.

“Our response will be proportional and Azerbaijan’s military-political leadership will take full responsibility for the situation,” a statement said.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan “announced the reactionary action of our troops, along with the entire front, to suppress the combat activity of the Armenian armed forces and ensure the safety of the civilian population.”

It said one helicopter was lost but the crew survived, and 12 Armenian air defense systems were destroyed.

The last tensions in the country erupted in 2016 with four days of struggle over the disputed area.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has long sought to mediate a settlement of the conflict, with diplomats from France, Russia and the US – forming the OSCE Minsk Group – trying to build a ceasefire.