Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes: Live news

• Heavy fighting between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces broke out in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region on Sunday.
• Armenia and Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh declared martial law, while Azerbaijan ordered its military to mobilise.
• Both sides blamed each other for the worst escalation since 2016, amid reports of casualties.

Here are the latest updates:

10:50 GMT – Azerbaijan says no need for military mobilisation over Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijan’s army said there was no need for total military mobilisation due to a flare up in tensions with Armenia over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, since its army is fully staffed.

Earlier, both Armenia and authorities Nagorno-Karabakh declared martial law and military mobilisation due to clashes with Azerbaijan.

10:30 GMT – France calls on sides to end hostilities

France called on Yerevan and Baku to end hostilities and immediately restart dialogue after Armenia declared martial law and mobilised its male population following clashes with Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.

“France is extremely concerned by the confrontation,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes bon der Muhll said in a statement.

Along with the United States and Russia, France is co-president of the Minsk group, which mediates between both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Armenia said Azerbaijan had carried out an air and artillery attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan said it had responded to Armenian shelling.

10:11 GMT –  EU calls for ‘immediate return to negotiations’

European Council president Charles Michel has called for a halt to fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces and an “immediate return to negotiations, without preconditions”.

“Military action must stop, as a matter of urgency, to prevent a further escalation,” Michel tweeted.

09:55 GMT – Azerbaijan restricts internet traffic

Azerbaijan’s transport ministry says it has “put restrictions on internet traffic” amid the ongoing military escalation with Armenian forces.

The ministry said the measure was taken in order to prevent “Armenian provocations” following the clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh.

09:28 GMT – Turkey condemns Armenian attacks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Ankara “strongly condemns the attack by Armenia against Azerbaijan”.

“Armenia violated the ceasefire by attacking civilian locations,” he posted on Twitter. “Turkey stands in full solidarity with Azerbaijan and unreservedly supports its right to self-defense.”

We strongly condemn Armenia’s attack on Azerbaijan. Armenia has once again violated international law and shown that it has no interest in peace and stability.

Turkey stands in full solidarity with Azerbaijan and unreservedly supports its right to self-defense.

— Ibrahim Kalin (@ikalin1) September 27, 2020

09:06 GMT – Harutyunyan: ‘Turkey has mercenaries in Azerbaijan’

Nagorno-Karabakh’s leader Araik Harutyunyan accused the Turkish government of sending mercenaries to Azerbaijan.

“We have information that mercenaries from Turkey and other countries were airlifted to Azerbaijan,” he said.

“The Turkish army is already in Azerbaijan, under the guise of military drills,” he claimed.

08:55 GMT – Aliyev: ‘Our cause is just, we will win’

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has vowed victory over Armenian forces in a televised address to the nation.

Aliyev says “there are losses among the Azerbaijani forces and the civilian population as a result of the Armenian bombardment”.

“Our cause is just and we will win,” Aliyev said, repeating a famous quote from Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s address at the outbreak of World War II in Russia. “[The] Azerbaijani army is fighting on its territory,” he added.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev gestures as he addresses the nation in Baku, Azerbaijan on Sunday [Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP]

08:39 GMT – Pashinyan: ‘Get ready to defend our sacred homeland’

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on his people to defend their “homeland”.

“Get ready to defend our sacred homeland,” he wrote on Facebook, adding “the government has decided to declare martial law and a total mobilisation”.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government declared martial law[File: Reuters]

Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s coverage of the military escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I’m Umut Uras in Doha.