By Staff, Agencies

Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers confirmed they will be present at Moscow talks on a possible cessation of hostilities over the Nagorno-Karabakh area, Russia said Friday.

"Baku and Yerevan have confirmed their participation in the consultations in Moscow," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Active preparations are underway," she declared, with the talks expected to take place later on Friday.

Armenia's Envoy to Russia Vardan Toganyan confirmed the upcoming visit of the Armenian FM.

The announcement comes as the breakaway mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region reported the deaths of 26 soldiers, upping its death toll in the conflict to 376.

The Azeri Defense ministry reported fierce overnight fighting along the frontline, claiming its strikes stirred chaos among the hostiles, with 13 battle tanks and scores of other military hardware destroyed.

The fighting in the contested area is about to enter its third week and amounts to the most severe clashes since the war in the early 1990s.

Russia, France and the US have been pushing for a ceasefire as Iran voiced fears that the conflict could escalate into a regional war.