Yerevan, April 3, 2016 (AFP) – Azerbaijan said on Sunday morning a “unilateral cease-fire” but conditional Nagorno Karabakh Friday and Saturday theater of the bloodiest clashes since the end of the war in 1994, but Yerevan as the fighting continues.

The cease-fire announced by Baku – who claims to have taken over Friday and Saturday several strategic positions – was also subject to conditions, warning that if Armenian forces did not stop “provocations”, “Azerbaijan” liberate all the territories occupied by Armenians “.

Baku also expressed decided to “strengthen” strategic positions “liberated”. And denied that the separatist forces of Karabakh (western Azerbaijan) have, as they have announced Sunday morning resumed the strategic height of Lala-Tepe.

The separatists, backed by Armenia, took control of the region in the early 1990s after a war that left 30,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of refugees, mostly Azeris. It is now populated mainly by Armenians

Despite the signing in 1994 of a cease-fire, no peace treaty has been signed, and after years of relative calm, the region has experienced in recent months a sharp escalation of clashes. Yerevan had estimated the end of December we had returned to the “war”.

Nagorno-Karabakh is still internationally recognized as belonging to Azerbaijan.

– Helicopter shot down –

In the night from Friday to Saturday and in the day Saturday, azerbaïdjnaises and Armenian forces clashed with artillery, tanks and helicopters Azerbaijani side. The fighting left 30 dead among the soldiers – 18 Armenians and 12 Azerbaijanis – and killed two civilians.

Azerbaijan has recognized that one of its helicopters was shot down, and said his troops had taken control of several strategic heights of a village – what Yerevan denied.

After a brief stabilization Saturday night and despite appeals for calm from Moscow and the West, fighting had resumed, although less violent during the night from Saturday to Sunday.

“The Armenian armed forces have violated the cease-fire 130 times during the night, firing mortars, grenade launchers and machine guns with large caliber” and “Azerbaijani army replied,” announced Sunday morning the Ministry Azerbaijani Defense.

Yerevan stated in turn that fighting continued Sunday morning “in the south”, while the Armenian separatists in Karabakh Azerbaijanis suffer saying “bombing artillery and tanks on our positions.”

Soon after, Azerbaijan announced its “unilateral cease-fire”

– Russia and Turkey in the background –

Russia and the West had on Saturday called for a return to calm, Putin demanding an “immediate cease-fire” while US Secretary of State John Kerry called on both parties to return to the negotiating table, reiterating that there was “no military solution to this conflict.”

On a visit to Washington this week, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev demanded Wednesday before Mr. Kerry, that Armenia withdraw “immediately” its troops from the disputed territory.

After thanking Washington “for his efforts to find a way to resolve the protracted conflict”, he claimed that it is the “on the basis of a resolution of the UN Security Council demands the immediate withdrawal and unconditional Armenian troops from our territories. “

Azerbaijan, rich in oil and whose only defense budget is larger than the entire budget of Armenia, periodically threatens to take by force the breakaway region if the negotiations fail.

Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured that Turkey will support Azerbaijan “to the end” in the conflict.

“We pray that our Azerbaijani brothers triumph over these fights with the least possible losses,” Erdogan said. “We will support Azerbaijan to the end”, he added.

Azeris are culturally and linguistically very close to the Turks.

Armenia, supported in turn by Russia, says she could face any offensive.