PARIS: France accused Turkey on Wednesday of “military involvement” on the side of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, the latest volley in a war of words between Paris and Ankara. “The new aspect is that there is military involvement by Turkey which risks fuelling the internationalisation of the conflict,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told parliament.

Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics, have for decades been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnically Armenian area which broke away from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war that cost about 30,000 lives.

Heavy fighting erupted again on September 27, with both sides blaming each other for reigniting hostilities.

The conflict has drawn in regional players, with Turkey urging support for Azerbaijan and Armenia hoping that its ally Russia — which has so far stayed on the sidelines — will step in.

Turkey has been accused of deploying fighters from Syria to support Azerbaijan in the fighting.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently claimed Ankara had sent Syrian “jihadists” to the region, accusing Turkey of crossing a “red line”. Turkey has not responded publicly to the accusations.