Armenia on Tuesday accused Azerbaijan of firing into its internationally recognised territory in the south-east, near its border with Iran.
“Today in the morning, the Azerbaijani side again violated the ceasefire regime, shelling Armenian border guard positions,’’ Armenian military spokesperson, Shushan Stepanyan, said in a statement.
Regional power Russia, which has close military ties with Armenia, has an obligation under a treaty to defend Armenia upon an attack on its territory.
Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan have been engaged in intense fighting in recent weeks over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Although, it has controlled for decades by Christian Armenian troops, however, considered by the United Nations as part of predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said that the Russian military would not intervene in the conflict in that disputed region.
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Azerbaijan, which has been backed by regional power Turkey amid the flare-up in fighting, has accused Armenian forces of shelling its undisputed territory, particularly its second-largest city, Ganja.
Turkey has vowed to support close ally Azerbaijan by all means necessary.
It, however, has denied Armenia’s allegations that it has directly participated in the fighting.
No fewer than 800 people reported killed while the flare-up in fighting is the deadliest between Armenia and Azerbaijan since they fought a war in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The two transitioned into independent countries amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The flare-up, which began in September, has persisted in spite of subsequent ceasefires brokered by Russia and the U.S.
