Azerbaijan says Armenian-backed militias breaking ceasefire

Armenian-backed militias violated a ceasefire in the Armenian-occupied region of Karabakh in Azerbaijan 115 times in the last 24 hours, the RIA news agency cited the Azeri Defence Ministry as saying on Wednesday.

"Over the last 24 hours, the Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire regime on the contact line 115 times," Azerbaijani Defence Ministry spokesperson Vagif Dyargakhly said.

However, Armenian-backed forces in Karabakh claimed that the ceasefire agreed with Azeri forces on Tuesday largely held overnight.

"Last night, the ceasefire was generally maintained along the contact line," the militia said in a statement on Wednesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, after several European countries and the United States urged the sides to end the fighting, Azerbaijan and the Armenian-backed authorities in Karabakh announced that they had agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect.

Tension in the region has been on the rise in recent weeks between Azerbaijan and Armenian-backed militias, which receive support including soldiers and weapons directly from Armenia.

The recent outbreak of fighting is one of the deadliest since the 1994 peace treaty signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan brought about through Russian mediation.

According to Baku, around 20 Azerbaijanis have died in the latest round of fighting, including four civilians. At least 20 others have been wounded by attacks from Armenian-backed forces.