The Azerbaijan launched a military operation to retake its disputed enclave Nagorno-Karabakh in the southern Caucasus, which is mainly inhabited by Armenians.
Armenian authorities in the enclave, which belongs to Azerbaijan, said the Azeris were shelling the entire area along the front line with rockets and artillery.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital, Stepanakert, and other towns in the region are under “heavy fire”, Armenian authorities in the enclave added, shortly after the start of what Azerbaijan describes as “anti-terrorist” operations.
“Azerbaijan has launched a large-scale military operation against the Republic of Artsakh (s.b.: the name given by the Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh)”, wrote on Facebook the delegation maintained by the separatists in Armenia.
Baku claimed it had informed Russia and Turkey about the military operation it had begun in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The command of the peacekeeping detachment of the Russian Federation and the directorate of the Turkish-Russian Observatory (of the cease-fire) were informed about the ongoing activities,” the Azeri Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Azeri ministry also announced that civilians can leave the Karabakh region through humanitarian corridors to Armenia and other directions.
The ministry called on civilians to stay away from what it called legitimate military targets being attacked by Azeri forces as part of Baku’s “anti-terrorist” operation.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia is in contact with various parties, including Azerbaijan, regarding the situation in Karabakh.
Moscow will soon make a statement on the matter, he added.
Source: News Beast
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