Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians said today that Azerbaijani forces had violated a ceasefire agreement reached yesterday, as talks began in the Azeri city of Yevlakh this morning after Baku’s lightning military victory to regain control of the autonomous enclave.

According to the latest account of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azeri military operation, which ended yesterday, Wednesday, at noon, within 24 hours, it claimed the lives of at least 200 people while the injured amount to 400.

Armenian authorities said gunfire was heard in the center of the regional capital. A correspondent of the French News Agency (AFP) who is there also reported that shots were heard in Stepanakert around 12:15 local time (and Greek time).

In another development, Armenia today called Azerbaijan’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh a “crime against humanity”, telling the UN Human Rights Council that “ethnic cleansing” is underway.

“Armenia has not stopped informing the Council of an impending ethnic cleansing. Today, it is in progress (…). But the civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh are trapped and have no way out as Azerbaijan continues to block the only lifeline connecting them to Armenia,” said Armenian Ambassador Andranik Hofkhanisian.

“This is not a simple conflict situation, but a crime against humanity that must be treated as such,” he added.

Soon after, the representative of Azerbaijan, Dilara Abdulayeva, explained the reasons that prompted her country to regain control of this region, saying that it was “anti-terrorist measures”.