BAKU, October 3. /TASS/. Operatives from Azerbaijan’s State Security Service have detained Arayik Harutyunyan, the former leader of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani APA news agency reported.

According to the news agency, he is currently en route to Baku.

Earlier on Tuesday, APA also reported that the Azerbaijani security forces had detained two ex-leaders of the unrecognized republic, Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, and Davit Ishkhanyan, the former parliamentary speaker of the breakaway republic.

Last week, Azerbaijani authorities reported the detention of former Foreign Minister and Aide to the president of Nagorno-Karabakh David Babayan as well as the arrest of former deputy commander of the Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh Davit Manukyan and former head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s government Ruben Vardanyan.

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." The Russian Foreign Ministry called upon 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 September 20, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that an agreement was reached with the participation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to suspend anti-terrorist measures in Karabakh.