US ‘strongly condemns’ violence along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

The United States strongly condemns the violence along the Armenia-Azerbaijan international border, urging the counties to refrain from using force to avoid further escalation, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement on Monday.

“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the violence along the Armenia-Azerbaijan international border.  We urge the sides to stop using force immediately, use the existing direct communication links between them to avoid further escalation, and strictly adhere to the ceasefire," the spokeswoman said. 

"As a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States remains strongly committed to helping the sides achieve a lasting, peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We will remain actively engaged in efforts to accomplish that goal.

"The United States joins the Minsk Group Co-Chairs in calling for the sides to resume substantive negotiations as soon as possible and in emphasizing the importance of returning OSCE monitors to the region as soon as circumstances allow," the statement read.