Azerbaijan has ‘declared war’ on Armenian people —Armenia PM

YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Sunday that arch-foe Azerbaijan has declared war on his people after heavy fighting erupted along the frontlines of contested territory.

Azerbaijan's "authoritarian regime has once again declared war on the Armenian people," Pashinyan said in a televised statement, adding, "we are on the brink of a full-scale war in the South Caucasus, which might have unpredictable consequences."

Baku and Yerevan put themselves on a war footing after the fighting erupted Sunday between Azerbaijan and Armenian separatists, claiming military and civilian casualties on both sides, including at least one child.

The worst clashes since 2016 have raised the specter of a fresh war between arch enemies Azerbaijan and Armenia which have been locked for decades in a territorial dispute over the Armenia-backed breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh.

A major confrontation between the ex-Soviet Caucasus neighbors would draw in big regional players Moscow and Ankara. — Agence France-Presse