ANKARA (Sputnik) — On April 2, Armenia and Azerbaijan noted a sharp escalation of the situation in the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh area, with both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire that has been in place since 1994.
"We condemn the shelling of the Azerbaijani territory by Armenia that took place on the night of 1 April, extend our condolences to the relatives of our deceased Azerbaijani brothers, wish a speedy recovery to the injured, We urge Armenia to immediately return to the truce conditions and cease fire," the statement by the ministry added.
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988, when the Armenian-dominated autonomous region sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. In September 2015, the conflict escalated, with the sides blaming each other for violating the truce.
