The United States strongly condemns the violation of the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh region and calls on the conflicting sides to show restraint since the military approach is not an option to settle the issue, US State Secretary John Kerry said, according to Sputnik.
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the large-scale ceasefire violations along the Nagorno-Karabakh contact line, which have resulted in a number of reported casualties, including civilians," Kerry said in a statement.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Trend