The spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Morgan Ortagus, issued a statement regarding the military operations along the line of contact of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which was published on the website of the United States Department of State:
“The United States is concerned by reports of large-scale military operations along the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, which have resulted in casualties, including among the civilian population. We extend our condolences to the families of the dead and wounded.
The US strongly condemns this escalation of tensions. Deputy Secretary Biegun has called on Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan to urge the sides to immediately cease military operations, use direct communication channels between them to avoid further escalation, and refrain from unhelpful rhetoric and actions that lead to increased tensions.
The United States believes that the involvement of external parties in the violence could be extremely unhelpful and only deepen regional tensions. We call on the sides to work with the Minsk Group co-chairs to return to substantive negotiations as soon as possible. As co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States remains steadfastly committed to supporting the sides in achieving a peaceful and lasting settlement of the conflict,” the department’s statement said.
