Moscow in Contact With Armenia, Azerbaijan Amid Nagorno-Karabakh Tensions

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, Baku and Yerevan traded blame for breaching the truce in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and reported about heavy fighting in the area. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported shelling and dozens of ceasefire violations by the Armenian armed forces, while the Armenian Defense Ministry reported offensive actions from the Azerbaijani side.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry maintains permanent contact with the leadership of the foreign ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan," Zakharova was quoted as saying on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website.

She added that Moscow was "deeply concerned" by the flare-up in the region and called on the parties to the conflict to cease hostilities and exercise restraint.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988, after the predominantly Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region announced its secession from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. Nagorno-Karabakh proclaimed its independence in 1991, prompting a war that lasted until a Russia-brokered ceasefire was signed in 1994. In September 2015, the conflict escalated, with the sides blaming each other for violating the truce.