Turkey affirmed that it would continue to stand by Azerbaijan in its conflict with its neighbor Armenia, while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the two countries to exercise maximum restraint, because "a complete conflict between them would be disastrous."
"Guterres is extremely concerned about the current tensions between the two countries," Stefan Dujarric, a spokesman for the Secretary-General, told a news conference by teleconference.
For his part, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar affirmed that his country would continue to stand by Azerbaijan "against the attacks it is being subjected to by Armenia," and that "his country's armed forces will do what needs to be done as it has always been."
International concern is increasing due to the threat to stability in a region that is a conduit for pipelines that transport oil and gas from the Caspian Sea to global markets.
On 12 July, tension escalated again between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the defense ministries of Baku and Yerevan confirmed in two separate statements that they had responded to an attack by each side on the other, and the new confrontations between them resulted in the deaths of dozens of soldiers from both sides.
Azerbaijan accuses its neighbor Armenia of occupying about 20% of its territory since 1992, which includes the Nagorno Karabakh region, in addition to large parts of the provinces of Aghdam and Faduli.
The Nagorno Karabakh region - a mountain enclave inside Azerbaijan - is under the administration of people of Armenian descent who declared independence during a conflict that began with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Despite a ceasefire agreement concluded in 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia are still trading accusations of launching attacks on the separatist region and on the border between them.