Nagorno-Karabakh says death toll among its military rises to 280 since start of conflict

The deadliest fighting in more than 25 years in the region

MOSCOW:

The defence ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh region said on Wednesday it had recorded another 40 casualties among its military, pushing the military death toll to 280 since fighting with Azeri forces erupted on Sept 27, the Interfax news agency reported.

The region has seen the deadliest fighting in more than 25 years between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces.

On Monday Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other of attacking civilian areas.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg added his voice to calls for an immediate end to the clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountain enclave that belongs to Azerbaijan under international law but is populated and governed by ethnic Armenians.

But prospects for a ceasefire appeared remote after fighting intensified at the weekend, with hundreds killed in clashes involving artillery, tanks and fighter planes since Sept 27.

Azerbaijan said Azeri cities outside Nagorno-Karabakh had been struck, taking the fighting closer to territory from which pipelines carry Azeri gas and oil to Europe.

The fighting has increased international concern that other regional powers could be dragged into the conflict - Turkey has expressed solidarity with Azerbaijan while Armenia has a defence pact with Russia.

“There is no military solution,” NATO’s Stoltenberg said during a visit to Turkey, calling for a ceasefire.

The European Union appealed for a ceasefire last week and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday he had asked his foreign minister to travel to Europe to meet with allies to discuss developments in Nagorno-Karabakh.

US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun spoke separately to the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. He urged the sides to agree to a ceasefire immediately and resume negotiations, the State Department said in a statement.

The United States, Russia and France jointly chair a group under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to mediate in the crisis. The three powers condemned the escalation of violence in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and called for a ceasefire, the OSCE said.