Armenia PM: No diplomatic solution in sight

Nikol Pashinyan urged citizens to sign up as military volunteers to help defend the country amid fighting with Azerbaijan

Retired police officer Genadiy Avanesyan, 73, searches for belongings in the remains of his house, which is said was destroyed by Azeri shelling, in the city of Stepanaker. AFP

Yasin Budakov, 40, holds a book which his kid forgot to take when they were running out of his damaged flat as residents return to their homes following a ceasefire during a military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. AFP

Iman Abisiv carries his belongings from his damaged home after a ceasefire begins during the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the city of Terter, Azerbaijan. Reuters

A man looks out from his damaged home after a ceasefire begins during the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the city of Terter, Azerbaijan. Reuters

A man rummages through the remains of a home that was damaged by Azeri artillery in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. Getty

A woman sits in ruins of her house after shelling by Armenian's artillery during fighting over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in Terter, Azerbaijan. AP

Razim Mehmedov, 40, sits in a bedroom of his flat that was damaged and burnt by shelling as residents return to their homes following a ceasefire during a military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the town of Terter, Azerbaijan. AFP

Xatire Celilova stands inside her destroyed flat following a ceasefire during a military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. AFP

A man stands with his kid by a car outside a damaged apartment building after the family took their last belongings from their flat during a ceasefire during a military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. AFP

A diplomatic solution to the conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region is nowhere in sight, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday, dealing a blow to efforts by world powers for a sustainable truce.

In a live video address on Facebook, Mr Pashinyan said the conflict "has not and will not have a diplomatic solution for a long time".

He urged all Armenians to “take up arms and defend the Motherland” and called on local mayors to organise volunteer units.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in fierce fighting for almost a month over Karabakh, the region of Azerbaijan that broke away after the Soviet Union split up.

The biggest escalation since the end of the last conflict in 1994 has left hundreds dead, with world powers so far unable to persuade either side to stop fighting.

Azerbaijan and the Armenian separatists who live in and govern Karabakh have been locked in a bitter impasse over the fate of the mountain province since a war in the 1990s, which killed 30,000 people.