BAKU/YEREVAN (AZERBAIJAN/ARMENIA) – Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces were involved in new clashes on Friday ahead of talks with Russia, on ending the battles in the South Caucasus for more than 25 years.
RIA news agency quoted Russia’s foreign ministry by saying Armenia and Azerbaijan had accepted the offer for talks on Friday.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, “Baku and Yerevan confirmed their participation in talks in Moscow. Active preparation is under way.”
More than 400 people have been killed in the fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said clashes were going fiercely with ethnic Armenian forces during the night.
More details of the latest clashes were not immediately available.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s defence ministry said Stepanakert, which ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh look at as the capital of an independent state, witnessed shelling since Friday morning.
The head of a six-country military alliance led by Russia and including Armenia gave warning on Thursday that they could intervene if the sovereignty of Armenia was threatened.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s main demand for a ceasefire is that Armenia must set a timetable to withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding Azeri territories.