Armenia said today that the Azerbaijani army continued to bomb residential communities in the Nagorno Karabakh region, as it continued its field advance towards the strategic city of Shushi.

While the international diplomatic movement continues to ease the crisis, Human Rights Watch accused Armenia of using cluster bombs to kill civilians in Azerbaijan.

The head of the Karabakh region - which is not recognized internationally - warned that the Azerbaijani army has approached the city of Shushi, the second largest city in the region, and called on citizens to defend their city and repel the attack of the Azeri forces.

For his part, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that it is impossible to enforce the truce without mechanisms that determine who violates the ceasefire, holding Baku responsible for violating ceasefire agreements 3 times.

On the other hand, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said - in a tweet to him on his Twitter account - that his country's army had made progress in the southern front of the Karabakh region on the Gabriel axis, controlling 9 new villages.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that the Armenian side continued its attacks on various fronts, using all kinds of weapons.

The ministry stated in a statement that its forces shot down two "Su-25" aircraft, and destroyed two "T-72" (T-72) tanks and other Armenian equipment.

It indicated that its forces have successfully continued their military operations on the Agdera, Gubadli and Khujanved axes.

Araghi in Yerevan

On the political level, Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister and his country's special envoy for the Karabakh crisis, discussed with Armenian Foreign Minister Zahrab Manatsakyanian in Yerevan security and military developments between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

A statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the two sides expressed their concern about transferring terrorist and armed elements to the region to participate in the battles.

The statement added that Araqchi presented to the Armenian side Iran's proposal to end the conflict, permanently cease fire and settle differences.

For his part, the Armenian Foreign Minister said that his country realizes and understands Iran's concerns, and welcomes Tehran's role in ensuring security and stability in the region.

In parallel with the Iranian diplomatic move, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan arrived in Geneva today, to hold talks to ease the escalating tension.

Diplomats in the Swiss city told Reuters that the two ministers are scheduled to meet with envoys from France, Russia and the United States, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group tasked with settling the conflict.

Cluster munitions

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said that Armenian forces either fired internationally banned cluster munitions and long-range missiles or supplied them to their forces in Karabakh.

She added that she used it in an attack on the city of Barda, west of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, on the 28th of this month, which killed at least 21 civilians and injured 70 others.

She explained that, based on the testimonies of eyewitnesses and photos of the remnants of these weapons, the munitions used were of the type "N-2359" (N-2359) and the "Smerch" missiles (Smerch), which the Armenian army has launchers for a type of high explosive.

The organization added that the use of these weapons in the city center shows blatant disregard for civil life and international law, and called on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop using cluster weapons and to join international treaties that prohibit the use of this type of weapon.