Armenian and Azerbaijani forces exchange heavy fire killing dozens

Armenian genocide: 'My grandparents didn't want to tell me all the horrors'

Armenian genocide: 104 years on.

Azerbaijani and Armenian forces battled for a second day after dozens were killed in an outbreak of heavy fighting that has raised fears of an all-out war between the longtime enemies.

Azerbaijan and Armenian forces have resumed fighting in a major eruption of their decades-old conflict. Russia says its military is closely watching, while France and Turkey trade barbs as tension mounts.

Ankara supports Azerbaijan's bid to retake "its own lands" in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Turkish defense minister said while talking to Moscow. Azerbaijan has been pushing for Turkey to be given a bigger role in peace talks.

Armenia's President Armen Sarkissian spoke to FRANCE 24 from the capital Yerevan, as the conflict between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh continues to claim civilian lives. Sarkissian accused Azerbaijan of having "started a war" and violating the two recent ceasefires. He also claimed that Turkey "has a completely destructive role" in the conflict and "has added a new dimension to this which doesn't have anything to do with" the aspirations of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

In an address to the nation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says Armenia has "violated" the US-brokered ceasefire. But Armenia's defence ministry says Azerbaijani forces have violated the truce with artillery fire on combat positions in various parts of the frontline. A third attempt at halting weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh has collapsed quickly with Armenia and Azerbaijan trading accusations of violating the ceasefire within minutes.

Armenian protesters block streets in the capital Yerevan, launching a "civil disobedience" campaign to force Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to quit over a controversial peace agreement with Azerbaijan.

In a Yerevan hospital, the recovery is arduous for soldiers with severe burns who claim phosphorus munitions were used against them by Azerbaijani forces.

Opposition supporters have started a nationwide strike and set up tents in the capital. They claim they'll stay until the PM steps down, but he said he has no intention of leaving office.

Russian peacekeepers have been on the ground in Nagoro-Karabakh in a bid to get a Moscow-brokered ceasefire to hold. Armenia is yet to comment on the claims.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced his resignation as a means of curbing the political turmoil in the former Soviet republic.