Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to honor a Russia-brokered ceasefire agreement. Fighting has continued even after the deal took effect at noon on Saturday, local time.

Lavrov talked by phone with his counterparts of Azerbaijan and Armenia on Saturday.

Lavrov also held a phone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday and is believed to have sought cooperation to keep the ceasefire alive. Turkey has been aiding Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia accuse each other of staging attacks in violation of the ceasefire. Azerbaijan's defense ministry said on Sunday that its forces retaliated with airstrikes against an Armenian military unit.

Russia is apparently trying to stabilize the situation through the ceasefire. But Azerbaijan and Turkey say it is only temporary and for humanitarian purposes, such as exchanging prisoners.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a decades-long dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The contested territory lies in Azerbaijan, but is mainly populated by ethnic Armenians.

The latest round of deadly fighting between the two former Soviet republics erupted on September 27.

nhk