Azerbaijani soldiers film Azeri military trucks moving through the town of Lachin on Tuesday. Azerbaijani soldiers and military trucks rolled into the final district given up by Armenia in a peace deal that ended weeks of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Photo: AFP

Armenia said on Tuesday that nearly 50 of its soldiers had been killed in the worst clashes with Azerbaijan since their war two years ago, but Russia said it had convinced the historic rivals to agree to a rapid cease-fire.

After several hours of fierce border fighting overnight, Armenia appealed to world leaders for help, saying Azerbaijani forces were trying to advance on its territory.

The fighting was the worst since the end of a 2020 war between the ex-Soviet republics over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region that left thousands killed on both sides.

Russia said it had succeeded in bringing the clashes to a halt, with the foreign ministry in Moscow saying a cease-fire had been agreed from 9 am Moscow time (0600 GMT) on Tuesday.

"We expect that an agreement reached as a result of Russian mediation on a cease-fire... will be carried out in full," the ministry said in a statement.

Armenia's defence ministry said later that clashes had subsided but that the situation on the border "remains extremely tense."

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed parliament on Tuesday morning, after calling French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to demand "an adequate reaction" to "Azerbaijan's aggressive acts."

Azerbaijan said it had also suffered casualties but did not specify the number killed.

Azerbaijan accused Armenia of "large-scale subversive acts" near the districts of Dashkesan, Kelbajar and Lachin and said its armed forces were responding with "limited and targeted steps, neutralizing Armenian firing positions."

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell meanwhile said it was "imperative that the hostilities stop and that there is a return to the negotiating table."

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in August about the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict that "We have noted relevant reports. Azerbaijan and Armenia are both friendly cooperation partners of China." 

"We hope both sides can comply with the cease-fire consensus, avoid further escalation of the situation and address tensions and differences through political dialogue," said Wang.

AFP - Global Times