Armenia, Azerbaijan continue fighting as EU calls for peace

Yerevan: The fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh continued Wednesday morning, with Armenian officials saying the territory's capital came under attack again and the European Union calling for cessation of hostilities. Clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in the region since Sept. 27 has killed hundreds in the worst escalation of hostilities since 1994 when a truce ended a war that raged for several years. Nagorno-Karabakh lies inside Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia for more than a quarter-century.

Armenian Defence Ministry spokesman Artsrun Ovannisian said Wednesday that Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabkh, was being targeted once again by Azerbaijan along with other settlements. Nagorno-Karabakh officials said that non-military facilities in Stepanakert have been hit with missiles and drones. Russian state RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday that some of the overnight shelling has hit people's houses, causing significant damage. Stepanakert has been under intense attacks in recent days. Local residents have been gathering in shelters to escape the violence. Azerbaijan has rejected claims of targeting civilian infrastructure in Stepanakert. Hikmet Hajiyev, aide to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said in an interview earlier this week that Azerbaijani forces only targeted military objects in and around Stepanakert, acknowledging, however, that some collateral damage was possible.