YEREVAN, Armenia -- Heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh continued for a fourth-straight day on Wednesday, with statements from both sides indicating that the flare-up of a decades-old conflict that has killed dozens of people since Sunday was no closer to an end.
The president of Azerbaijan said Armenia's withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh was the sole condition to end fighting over the separatist territory. Armenian officials alleged Turkey's involvement in the renewed conflict and said its neighbor's actions "hinder the efforts of the international community to cease the hostilities."
Meeting with wounded servicemen, Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev said Armenia must "unconditionally, completely and immediately leave" Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan and has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian government since 1994.
"If Armenia's government fulfills it, the fighting will stop, blood will not be shed, there will be peace," Aliyev was quoted by the Russian state Tass news agency as saying. "Azerbaijan is restoring its territorial integrity, and we have every right to do so."
The scenario laid out by the Azerbaijani leader is at odds with Armenia's views on ending the crisis. Aliyev's statement came a day after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan's "aggression towards Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia" needed to end before any compromise could be reached.
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On Wednesday, Pashinyan also said that Armenia may recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as independent, a move that could further interfere with a potential settlement of the dispute.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked for decades in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, where a separatist war was fought in the early 1990s until three years after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The region in the Caucasus Mountains of about 1,700 square miles, roughly the size of the U.S. state of Delaware, is 30 miles from the Armenian border.
Soldiers backed by Armenia occupy the region as well as some Azerbaijani territory outside it.
On Wednesday, the fighting continued despite repeated calls for a cease-fire from around the globe. According to officials in Nagorno-Karabakh, around 100 servicemen and several civilians on their side have been killed since the fighting flared Sunday. Azerbaijani officials didn't provide details on its military casualties but said 14 civilians have been killed and 46 wounded on its side.
The conflict escalated on Tuesday, with Armenia claiming that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down a SU-25 from its air force in Armenian airspace, killing the pilot.
Turkey, which has been vocal about siding with Azerbaijan in the dispute, denied those claims, and so did Azerbaijan.
Hikmet Hajiyev, an aide to Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev, told reporters in teleconference Wednesday that the incident involved two Armenian SU-25 planes that reportedly crashed into a mountain, rather than an F-16 downing an SU-25.
Armenia on Wednesday continued to allege Turkey was involved in the conflict, saying Turkish drones and F-16s were being used in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia's Foreign Ministry demanded "immediate withdrawal of the Turkish armed including the air force, from the conflict zone."
Turkey's Defense Ministry dismissed claims that Turkey's planes and drones were deployed to help Azerbaijan as propaganda by Armenia. The ministry said Armenia sought to increase international support "by creating the perception" that it was fighting Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that if Azerbaijan requests assistance, Ankara will provide it.
Information for this article was contributed by Daria Litvinova, Suzan Fraser, Sylvie Corbet and Bassem Mroue of The Associated Press.
![A boy holds a placard during a demonstration in support of Armenia outside of the U.S. embassy in the Cypriot capital Nicosia on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Armenian Cypriots took part in the demonstration to show their support for Armenian armed forces locked in heavy fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)]()
A boy holds a placard during a demonstration in support of Armenia outside of the U.S. embassy in the Cypriot capital Nicosia on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Armenian Cypriots took part in the demonstration to show their support for Armenian armed forces locked in heavy fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
![Damage is seen inside an apartment building that was allegedly damaged by recent shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)]()
Damage is seen inside an apartment building that was allegedly damaged by recent shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)
![Protesters hold Armenian flags during a demonstration in support of Armenia outside of the U.S. embassy in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Armenian Cypriots took part in the demonstration to show their support to Armenian armed forces locked in heavy fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)]()
Protesters hold Armenian flags during a demonstration in support of Armenia outside of the U.S. embassy in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Armenian Cypriots took part in the demonstration to show their support to Armenian armed forces locked in heavy fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
![A view of an apartment building that was allegedly damaged by recent shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)]()
A view of an apartment building that was allegedly damaged by recent shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)
![A local resident walks in an apartment building that was allegedly damaged by recent shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)]()
A local resident walks in an apartment building that was allegedly damaged by recent shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)
![Local resident stands in an apartment building that was allegedly damaged by recent shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)]()
Local resident stands in an apartment building that was allegedly damaged by recent shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)
![People wave Azerbaijan national flags during a funeral ceremony of a member of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces who was allegedly killed during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)]()
People wave Azerbaijan national flags during a funeral ceremony of a member of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces who was allegedly killed during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)
![This photo released by Armenian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, shows the wreckage of an Armenian air forces warplane on a hill in the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh near the town of Vardenis, Armenia. The conflict escalated on Tuesday, with Armenia alleging Turkish involvement and claiming that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down an SU-25 from its air force in Armenian airspace, killing the pilot. Turkey, which has been vocal about siding with Azerbaijan in the dispute, denied those claims, and so did Azerbaijan. (Armenian Foreign Ministry via AP)]()
This photo released by Armenian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, shows the wreckage of an Armenian air forces warplane on a hill in the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh near the town of Vardenis, Armenia. The conflict escalated on Tuesday, with Armenia alleging Turkish involvement and claiming that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down an SU-25 from its air force in Armenian airspace, killing the pilot. Turkey, which has been vocal about siding with Azerbaijan in the dispute, denied those claims, and so did Azerbaijan. (Armenian Foreign Ministry via AP)
![A man points to a crater that was allegedly caused by shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)]()
A man points to a crater that was allegedly caused by shelling during fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in Tartar region, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia brushed off the suggestion of peace talks Tuesday, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, with dozens killed and injured in three days of heavy fighting. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)
