The fierce fighting that started three days ago now appears to be spilling out of Nagorno-Karabakh, with Armenia and Azerbaijan trading accusations of direct fire into their territories.

They also blame each other for starting the conflict.

The heaviest clashes have reignited concerns about stability in the South Caucasus region.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly said that this conflict It's concerning not only because of the human cost for Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also because of the possible regional spillover.

“The surge in violence along the line of contact is deeply alarming, but not surprising. Neither Baku nor Yerevan has made the kind of political compromises, such as outside peacekeepers and territory swaps, needed for a negotiated solution. Russia has treaty obligations to Armenia, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on the record that Turkey will support Baku. For both Russia and Turkey to resupply their allies, they will have transit Georgia, and that will put Tbilisi in an awful position,” Ambassador Kelly told the Accent.

The incidents signalled a further escalation of the conflict despite urgent appeals from Russia, the United States and others to halt it.

As Ambassador Kelly stated, hi is disappointed at the lack of inadequate international involvement.

“The U.S. is one of the three Co-Chairs of the negotiating process, the Minsk Group. I'm disappointed at the lack of senior engagement in Washington, and the apparent lack of coordination with European allies. Absent that kind of leadership, unfortunately I don't see the violence ending soon,” he added.

Azerbaijan lost control of mostly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas in the early 1990s. In 1994, the two sides reached a ceasefire, which led to a period of relative stability. Occasional skirmishes still took place along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact.

Russia, France and the US co-chair the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Minsk Group, which has been attempting to broker an end to the dispute.

Marika Chubinidze