Putin calls for end to Nagorno clashes

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AFP

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Armenian troops in Nagorno-Karabakh – the conflict remains far from a solution

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an end to fighting after clashes broke out in the disputed Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other over the fighting, with both sides reporting casualties.

Armenia’s defence ministry claimed Azerbaijan had used tanks, artillery and air power, while Azerbaijan denied one of its helicopters had been downed.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been in Armenian hands since a war that ended in 1994.

Azeri forces had attempted to “capture tactical positions”, Armenia’s defence ministry said. The Nagorno-Karabakh military said Armenian anti-aircraft fire had shot down an Azeri helicopter, but Azerbaijan denied this, Reuters news agency reported.

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Similar violence was reported last month.

Fighting between the two sides began in the late 1980s and escalated into full-scale war in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed, killing about 30,000 people before a ceasefire in 1994.

The region, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians, has since run its own affairs with Armenian military and financial backing.

However sporadic fighting since then is estimated to have killed a further 30,000 people.

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