YEREVAN, September 19. /TASS/. The Armenian Defense Ministry has denied Azerbaijan's claims that its armed forces are present in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the ministry's statement.

"As previously, now again the Azerbaijani official reports and mass media continue to disseminate false statements that there are [Armenian] armed forces units, military equipment, and personnel in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Defense Ministry has repeatedly stated that Armenia does not have an army in Nagorno-Karabakh," the statement said.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the start of "local anti-terrorist operations in Nagorno-Karabakh." Baku says that it plans to "liquidate positions of the Armenian armed formations, their long-term firing points, as well as military means and military facilities" as part of these operations.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia is currently holding contacts on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, including with the Azerbaijani side; the Foreign Ministry will make a statement on the results of these contacts. She pointed out that Moscow is deeply concerned about the sharp escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and calls on the parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed and return to the diplomatic settlement.