TERTER, Azerbaijan (AP) — Azerbaijan says 16 troops have been killed and more injured in the past two days of fighting against separatists in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Fighting in what was a dormant conflict for over two decades erupted over the weekend with each side blaming the other for the escalation and using heavy weaponry.

Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan, has been controlled by local ethnic Armenian forces since a war there ended in 1994 with no clear resolution to the region's future.

Azerbaijan's defense ministry said on Tuesday the Karabakh militia continued to shell its positions Monday night.

In a much-anticipated mediation attempt, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be traveling to Azerbaijan's capital on Thursday while Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will be in Armenia's Yerevan on the same day.