Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan phoned President Ilham Aliyev, expressing condolences over the deaths of Azeri soldiers in recent skirmishes with Armenians near Nagorno-Karabakh.

At least 12 Azeri troops have been confirmed killed in the clashes since July 31. Armenians said three of their soldiers also died.

President Aliyev briefed Erdogan on the situation in the “line of contact” separating Azeri and Armenian troops, state news agency Azartac said, without providing further detail.

Armenians seized nearly one-fifth of Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991.

As many as 20 Azerbaijanis were killed and over a million displaced before the ceasefire was brokered in May 1994.

Azerbaijan says it reserves the right to use force to regain control of its territory should peace efforts mediated by the US, Russia and France fail. 

Bakudaily.az