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Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict

Guns fall silent in Karabakh - Azerbaijani president’s office

At the talks, brokered by Russia and held in Moscow on October 9, Azerbaijan and Armenia had agreed a ceasefire

© Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure/TASS

BAKU, October 10. /TASS/. Shelling stopped in Nagorno-Karabakh about two hours ago, Fuad Akhundov, head of the foreign media and NGO sector of Azerbaijani president's administration, said at a briefing for Russian journalists on Saturday.

"Like you, we receive information from defense officials," he said. "We talked by phone a while ago. According to their information, the shelling was stopped about two hours ago. The emplacements that were continuing shelling were suppressed," he said.

At the talks, brokered by Russia and held in Moscow on October 9, Azerbaijan and Armenia had agreed a ceasefire. It came into effect at 12.00 local time on Saturday, October 10 for humanitarian reasons, for the exchange of detainees and recovery of the bodies of those killed in fighting. Soon after noon the sides traded blame for violating the ceasefire agreement.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.

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