NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday he expected alliance member Turkey to use its influence to help head off further fighting in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Armenia has accused Turkey of backing the Azerbaijani side in the battle for the Nagorno-Karabakh region and has called on NATO to rein in its ally.

But Stoltenberg, who met Armenia's President Armen Sarkisian at NATO's Brussels headquarters on Wednesday, said both Armenia and Azerbaijan were valued partners of the alliance and refused to take sides in the fighting.

On Thursday, however, at a news conference after a meeting of defence ministers, he did suggest that Turkey must be part of a diplomatic solution to the conflict, and deplored reports of civilian deaths.

"We need an immediate ceasefire and full respect for the ceasefire and cessation of all her hostilities and therefore call on both Armenia and Azerbaijan, to cease fighting," he told reporters.

"That was the message yesterday, that is the message today, and that has been my current message over the last weeks.

"... Turkey is a valued ally, but I also expect Turkey to use its considerable influence in the region to calm tensions."

Hundreds of people -- both civilians and combatants -- have already been killed in the latest flare-up of fighting over Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan long controlled by Armenian separatists, and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned there will be no diplomatic solution "for a long time".

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New fighting over Karabakh despite ceasefire
Stepanakert, Azerbaijan (AFP) Oct 19, 2020
A new ceasefire agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan to halt fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh was again failing to hold on Monday as both sides accused each other of fresh attacks. The truce, backed by international mediators to put a stop to three weeks of fighting that has left hundreds dead, was supposed to have come into force at midnight (2000 GMT Saturday) but both sides immediately accused each other of violating the deal. But it has never been recognised by any othe ... read more