The Armenian and Azerbaijani Defense Ministries both confirmed Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region is currently being prepared.

Military operations have been suspended on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces since Tuesday noon local time (0800 GMT) with the consent of both parties, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Armenian television reported that "the ceasefire is observed for several hours."

Hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the contact line of the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region flared up overnight Saturday with the two countries blaming each other for triggering the escalation.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said its forces have killed 70 Armenian soldiers and destroyed 20 armored vehicles in the past two days, while at least 16 Azerbaijani troops were killed during heavy fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Source: XINHUA