Armenia urges France to prevent Turkey's involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh escalation

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has held phone talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday (local time) to discuss the ongoing escalation of tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh, emphasising the importance of keeping Turkey out of the armed hostilities.

"Nikol Pashinyan expressed deep concern over the current situation and its further escalation. In particular, he stressed that Azerbaijan was resorting to provocations with a view to launching military operations on the state borders of the Republic of Armenia. Calling his interlocutor's attention to Turkey's strongly biased and aggressive stance, the Premier stressed the need to prevent the possible intervention of that country," the Armenian Prime Minister's press service said.

As quoted in the press release, Macron described the escalation as "unacceptable" and called for an intensification of efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs -- which aside from France include Russia and the United States -- toward "reinstating peace in the region."

On Sunday morning, an escalation unfolded along the contact line of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-majority autonomy that proclaimed independence from what then was the Soviet Azerbaijan Republic in 1991.

Azerbaijan launched what it described as a "counteroffensive," while the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities accused Azerbaij forces of opening fire against civilians and civilian infrastructure in its capital of Stepanakert.

The armed hostilities continue at this point. Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh declared martial law and general mobilisation, while Azerbaijan declared partial martial law and refrained from mobilization.

Numerous countries and international orgzations, including the United Nations, have called on the conflict parties to immediately cease fire and return to an OSCE-facilitated dialogue without preconditions. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )