[ad_1]
At least 26 more separatist fighters have been killed in clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The clashes, which began Sunday, have killed at least 95 people, including 64 members of the military, according to the separatist-controlled Defense Ministry.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the dispute between the two countries.
An Al Jazeera report said that nine Azerbaijanis and two Armenians were among the dead.
However, Azerbaijan has not officially released any information on military casualties in the conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh leader Araik Harutiunyan called the fight a “life and death battle”.
Clashes between former Soviet rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan have escalated since 2016.
At the request of Germany and France, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The fighting and instability in a wide area between Muslim-majority Azerbaijan and Christian-majority Armenia could lead to clashes between the two powerful neighbors, Russia and Turkey, and other powers.
Al Jazeera reports that Russia has a long-standing military relationship with Armenia. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is receiving support from Ankara because there are ethnic Turks in Azerbaijan.
Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Nagdaliyan said Turkish military experts were fighting for Azerbaijan, while Turkey supplied drones and fighter jets.
However, Azerbaijan has denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for an end to the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan.
On Tuesday, the Turkish president said: “Armenia must leave Azerbaijan immediately. Only then can peace be established in the region.
After decades of conflict, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in the Karabakh region in the late 1980s. The conflict culminated in the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991. Approximately 30,000 people died in clashes between the two sides. before a ceasefire was established in 1994.
Al Jazeera reports that no country has yet recognized the independence of Karabakh, not even Armenia. The international community still considers it part of Azerbaijan.
