Armenian and Azerbaijani military clash in Nagorno-Karabakh
Clashes between the Armenian and Azerbaijani military erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh, reported Interfax.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Azerbaijan's armed forces had launched an attack on the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. "The enemy launched an attack on Artsakh. The Defense Army successfully counters the attack. The situation is in a state of operational development," Pashinyan said.
The Azerbaijani side said that it used aviation to prevent provocation by Armenia. According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, the country's armed forces have destroyed 12 Armenian Osa air defense. Yerevan reported the destruction of three enemy tanks.
Baku and Yerevan, which have been in conflict since 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijani SSR, blame each other for a new outbreak of violence that is gaining momentum despite calls for de-escalation from the West and from the Kremlin.
The negotiation process is currently being brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group, established in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. It includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Turkey. The group is co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States.