Nagorno-Karabakh War

Fierce clashes left at least 30 Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers dead April 2 in the disputed as Russia and the West urged an immediate ceasefire after a major escalation in violence over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an end to the fierce fighting renewed between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, where a conflict is threatening to resurface after having remained frozen since 199s4.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan maintain the other side began the fighting, with conflicting reports about details and casualties.

Azerbaijan has opened a criminal case against a prominent author who has been a target of a state-approved intimidation campaign after publishing a novel he says was intended to build bridges with arch-foe Armenia.

"Police launched a criminal case against me on hooliganism charges," Akram Aylisli, who has received threats and seen his books burned, told AFP on April 1.    

Russia's deployment last week of a new fleet of MIG-29 fighter jets and MI-8MT helicopters to the Erebuni Airbase in Armenia has raised concerns about Moscow's growing military presence in the region. This could have far-reaching consequences, beyond the strategic encirclement of Turkey, for the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as broader regional security and stability.

Armenia said on Dec. 22 that the ceasefire with arch-foe Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh virtually no longer exists, describing frequent skirmishes at the frontline as "war."

Azerbaijan and the Armenia-backed breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh yesterday bickered about how many of their soldiers had been killed in clashes that have stoked fears of a wider conflict breaking out in the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijani forces on Sept.24 shelled Armenia, killing three civilian women, officials in Yerevan said, as tensions mounted in the Caucasus neighbours' decades-long conflict over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.

Seven Armenian soldiers were killed in clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces during the last week, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sept. 5.

At least five Armenian troops have been killed in border clashes with Azerbaijani soldiers, said Azerbaijani officials on Aug. 24.

The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan said in a statement that Armenian soldiers fired at Azerbaijani positions with howitzers on Aug. 21.

Azerbaijani forces fired back and killed at least five Armenian soldiers and wounded eight, the ministry said.

OSCE Chairperson in Office Ivica Dacic started his official trip to the South Caucasus on Monday with a visit to Baku.

The Serbian foreign minister conferred with President llham Aliyev about the potential for progress towards a comprehensive peace agreement for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as co-operation between the OSCE and Azerbaijan.