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The biggest clashes since 2016 have raised fears of a new war between these former Soviet republics, which have been in conflict over the breakaway Armenian-backed Nagorno-Karabakh region since the early 1990s.
At least 17 Armenian separatist fighters were killed and more than 100 were injured, Nagorno-Karabakh President Araik Arutiunian said. He acknowledged that his forces had “lost positions”.
Both parties also reported civilian deaths.
“Tired of the threats from Azerbaijan, we will fight to the death to solve the problem once and for all,” Artak Bagdasarian, 36, told AFP in Yerevan, adding that he was waiting to be drafted into the army.
Nagorno-Karabakh separatists reported that an Armenian and a child had been killed, and Baku announced that an Azerbaijani family had been killed in an Armenian separatist fire.
Azerbaijan has announced the occupation of a strategically important mountain in Nagorno-Karabakh, helping to control transport connections between Yerevan and this enclave.
Scanpix / AP photo / Armenia announces the destruction of Azerbaijani tanks
Artsrun Ovhanisian, a spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry, said rebel forces in Nagorno-Karabakh had killed “some 200 Azerbaijani soldiers and destroyed 30 enemy artillery units and 20 drones.”
Second World War
The struggles between Muslim Azerbaijan and Christian Armenia could involve major players from the region, Russia and Turkey.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has called on world powers to avoid Ankara’s intervention. “We are on the brink of a global war in the South Caucasus,” he warned.
France, Germany, Italy and the European Union urgently called for an “immediate ceasefire”, and Pope Francis prayed for peace.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday voiced “grave concern” and “strongly urged an immediate cessation of hostilities.”
„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Emmanuelis Macronas
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also said he was “extremely concerned” about the resumption of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Karabakh region and called on the parties to end the fighting and return to negotiations.
The US State Department said it had contacted Armenia and Azerbaijan, “urging both sides to end hostilities immediately and use existing direct communications between them to prevent further escalation.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the resumption of fighting with Pasinyan and has called for an “end to hostilities.”
However, Azerbaijan’s ally Turkey accused Yerevan of resuming the fighting and promised Baku its “full support.”
“The Turkish people, as always, will support our Azerbaijani brothers to the best of their ability,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.
Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arutiunian said Turkey is sending mercenaries and fighter jets to fight. He added: “The war has already spread beyond the Karabakh-Azerbaijan conflict.”
Azerbaijan has accused the Armenian forces of violating the ceasefire and said it has launched a counterattack to “ensure the safety of the population” using tanks, artillery missiles, military aviation and drones.
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