Armenian father tells of life under daily bombings

far of two sons fighting in Stepanakert in Nagor-Karabakh said on Friday he hoped for international pressure to be put on to bring an end to a conflict which has rd in region for nearly two weeks.

Eduard Akojanian looked around wreck of houses in city, destroyed by shelling following latest outburst of fighting between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces.

He was later forced to run and seek shelter as sirens rang out and explosions echoed around city

" whole world must intervene. Russia, France, America. y must stop Azerbaijan, Turkey and Erdogan. whole city is bombed, our whole Artsakh is destroyed," he said.

Stepanakert is capital of self-proclaimed Republic of Nagor-Karabakh or Republic of Artsakh as Armenians refer to it.

Akojanian said both his sons were fighting on frontline and he hn't heard from his eldest in ten days.

Nagor-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenian government since 1994 at end of a separatist war following breakup of Soviet Union three years earlier

Russia moved to stop fighting on Friday by hosting cease-fire talks.

Kremlin said Putin's initiative followed a series of calls with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Armenia said it's open to holding a cease-fire, while Azerbaijan has me a potential truce conditional on Armenian forces' withdrawal from Nagor-Karabakh, arguing that failure of international efforts to negotiate a settlement left it or choice but to try to reclaim its lands by force.

(Representative Im)