YEREVAN, September 20. /TASS/. A group from the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will hold talks with Azerbaijan's representatives in the city of Yevlakh on September 21, Armenia’s 24News portal reported, citing sources in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The issues that Azerbaijan wants to discuss, that is reintegration, the security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, as well as ensuring the rights of the Nagorno-Karabakh population within the framework of the Azerbaijani Constitution, as agreed, will be tackled at a meeting between the representatives of the local Armenian population and the representatives of the central Azerbaijani authorities, which will be held in Yevlakh on September 21, 2023, as well as at subsequent meetings," the statement said.

On Tuesday, the administration of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that it was ready to hold a meeting with representatives of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians to discuss issues of integration on the condition that Armenia’s armed volunteer formations lay down their weapons.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that it had decided to halt the local anti-terrorist operations in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from 12:00 p.m. on September 20.

On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression." Residents of the Armenian capital took to the streets to protest outside the Armenian government building, blaming the country’s leadership and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the situation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has called on the parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed, end hostilities, prevent civilian casualties, and go back to trying to settle the Karabakh issue diplomatically.

On May 17, 2023, at the Council of Europe’s summit in Reykjavik, Pashinyan said that Yerevan recognized the sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its borders, which included Nagorno-Karabakh.