NICOSIA, September 30. /TASS/. Cyprus is considering the possibility of hosting Armenian refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh in the country, the Cypriot Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

"The government of Cyprus is poised to offer immediate humanitarian assistance to the displaced people - Armenians from Karabakh, thousands of whom are exiting their ancestral homes. In this regard, it is considering the possibility of accommodating some displaced [people from Karabakh’s] Armenians in our country, should the need arise," the Cypriot Foreign Ministry said.

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." Russia called on the parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed and return to a diplomatic settlement. On September 20, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that an agreement had been reached in coordination with the Russian peacekeeping contingent to suspend anti-terrorist activities in Karabakh.