Trump, Putin and Macron call for immediate ceasefire in Karabakh but Turkey's Erdogan demands 'full Armenian withdrawal'

Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron have called for an immediate ceasefire in Karabakh as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan demanded 'full Armenian withdrawal'.

Earlier today the presidents of America, Russia and France in a joint statement called for a return to negotiations without delay over the conflict between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces, which has raged around the Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh for the past five days.

'We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities between the relevant military forces,' the three presidents said in their capacity as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.

'We also call on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to commit without delay to resuming substantive negotiations, in good faith and without preconditions, under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.'

The group was set up in 1992 to mediate a peaceful resolution over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in the South Caucasus.

But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has since said that it was unacceptable that the countries were involved in a search for a ceasefire in the disputed region given they neglected problems there for some 30 years.

Erdogan also repeated that Armenia must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh if there is to be lasting peace in the region where Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces have clashed for five days.

It comes after Russia accused Turkey of sending Syrian and Libyan fighters from illegal armed groups into the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Russia called on the countries involved to prevent the use of 'foreign terrorists and mercenaries' in the conflict.

Two Syrian rebel sources have said that Turkey is sending Syrian rebel fighters to support Azerbaijan, which Turkey and Azerbaijan have denied.

Yesterday, Armenia revealed photos of the wreckage of its SU-25 fighter jet which it claims was shot down by a Turkish F-16 amid accusations that Ankara is throwing its military might behind Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan also announced it had 'neutralised' 2,300 Armenian soldiers in the worst eruption of violence between the two countries since a 1994 ceasefire over an Azerbaijani territory which is largely inhabited by Armenians.

Despite Azerbaijan and Turkey denying that an F-16 had downed Armenia's SU-25, the defence ministry in Yerevan named its dead pilot as Major Valeri Danelin and published photos of the jet painted in the Armenian Air Force colours, smouldering on a mountainside.

Turkey has been stridently backing Muslim Azerbaijan, raising fears that Russia - which has a military base in Christian Armenia - could be drawn into a proxy war after Moscow and Anakara came close to trading blows in Syria last year.

French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday slammed Turkey's fighting talk as 'reckless and dangerous' after Ankara pledged its full support for Azerbaijan to reclaim the ethnically-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

The Kremlin, which also wields influence over the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, has called on the hostilities to be 'immediately ended' and warned Turkey not to 'add fuel to the flames.'

Azerbaijan said yesterday it has killed or wounded at least 2,300 Armenian troops so far in the battle which started on Sunday.

The defence ministry, which has been tweeting numerous videos of its strikes, said it had destroyed 130 tanks and armoured vehicles, 200 artillery and missile systems and 50 anti-tank guns.

Macron on Wednesday pledged his support to Yerevan, telling reporters: 'I say to Armenia and to the Armenians, France will play its role.

But the French President also said it was too soon to speak of a regional conflict.

He said he would discuss the tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening and US President Donald Trump on Thursday before reporting on the situation to the European Council of EU leaders.