On Thursday, the United Nations welcomed a ceasefire announced between Armenia and Azerbaijan after two days of violence linked to a decades-old conflict between the former Soviet states over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The fighting - which both sides blamed on each other - left more than 170 soldiers dead and threatened to drag Turkey, Azerbaijan's key backer, and Armenia's ally Russia into a wider conflict at a time of already high geopolitical tensions.

A fragile ceasefire was agreed between the two sides late on Wednesday after almost 48 hours of clashes, a senior Armenian official said on state TV. Moscow, which has a self-defense pact with Armenia and a military base in the country but also strives for friendly relations with Azerbaijan, claimed credit for brokering the deal.

"The international community must remain fully committed to a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and spare no effort to deescalate the current tensions, bring the parties back to the negotiation table and help them achieve peace and stability in the region," said U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca on Thursday.

According to Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Azerbaijani forces had struck and seized several Armenian settlements along their shared border, in territory beyond the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region before the ceasefire was announced. Baku said it was responding to "provocations" by the Armenian side.

(With input from agencies)