Azerbaijan says ceasefire reached with separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region

After 2 days of fighting and a military operation, Azerbaijan and officials from the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region have agreed to a ceasefire. Armenian authorities said at least 32 people have died in the breakaway region after Azerbaijan’s strike.

The fighting will be followed by talks between the two parties and will aim for the “re-integration” of the ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The talks were scheduled to take place on Thursday in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh, news agency AP reported.

The deal was reached through negotiations with the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region, local officials said. It envisions the withdrawal of Armenian military units and equipment from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as disarming the local defence forces, Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry confirmed.

It comes a day after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh and used heavy artillery fire on Armenian positions there, an attack that local officials said killed or wounded scores of people.

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Also on Wednesday, mourners gathered in the city of Sumgait for the funeral of police officer Ramil Shirinov, who was killed in Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday.

(With AP inputs)