Fierce fighting broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces yesterday in a flare-up of a decades-long conflict over disputed land.

Azerbaijan said it launched a counterattack after accusing Armenians of firing on its military positions and on civilian settlements near the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia said Azerbaijan started bombarding along a contact line separating the two forces and shelled civilians.

Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has broken out repeatedly since Armenians took control of the territory from Azerbaijan in a war after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Despite decades of mediation by the United States, France and Russia, no peace agreement has been reached.

France, Russia and the European Union yesterday called on both sides to halt fighting immediately and to return to negotiations, while Turkey vowed complete support for its key ally Azerbaijan.

The Azeri army said as many as 12 Armenian anti-aircraft systems had been hit. The defence ministry of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region said it had destroyed four Azeri helicopters, 15 drones and 10 tanks. Both sides reported fatalities.

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