Armenia says historic cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh hit as fighting continues with Azerbaijan forces

Armenian authorities said a historic cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh was hit as fighting continues with Azerbaijan over the disputed region.

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The Armenian government said the Ghazanchetsots (Holy Saviour) Cathedral was hit by Azerbaijan forces.

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Heavy shelling continued in Nagorno-Karabakh region even as international mediators were set to meet in Geneva with capital Stepanakert being bombarded.

The fighting has led to the death of at least 300 military personnel with several hundred civilians being killed ever since the conflict started on September 27.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia are set to meet officials from Russia, US and France in a bid to halt the conflict which has put a severe strain on both countries.

Russia, France and the US are co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group. The three nations are seeking to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan even as the conflict escalates.

Amid the peace effort, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the country's parliament that, "The new aspect is that there is military involvement by Turkey which risks fuelling the internationalisation of the conflict."

The French foreign minister's statement comes after President Macron had said earlier that Turkey had sent Syrian jihadists to fight in the conflict.

Russian President Putin called the conflict a "tragedy" and called for a ceasefire "as quickly as possible".