Heavy fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan continued Saturday in their conflict over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, while Azerbaijan’s president criticized the international mediators who have tried for decades to resolve the dispute. Fighting that started September 27 is the worst to afflict Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas since the 1994 end of a war that left the region in Azerbaijan under the control of local ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. “Intensive fighting is taking place along the entire front line,” Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian told The Associated Press on Saturday. She said that Armenian forces had shot down three planes, which the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry denied, The Azerbaijani ministry said Armenian forces had shelled civilian territory within Azerbaijan, including the city of Terter. Armenia has repeatedly claimed over the past week that Turkey sent Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan and that the Turkish military is aiding Azerbaijan’s.

Source: The Standard October 03, 2020 16:07 UTC