WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to maintain ceasefire, disengage military forces and launch peace talks, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday.
"We welcome continued adherence to the ceasefire. We're continuing to urge the parties to engage in the peace process. We urge that a cessation of hostilities be maintained. We urge the disengagement of military forces and work to resolve all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan through peaceful negotiations," he said.
Tensions flared up on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border late on Monday in an area unrelated to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Baku and Yerevan accused each other of ongoing shelling and reported losses in their ranks. The death toll from the Armenian side is over 100 people, while Azerbaijan reported 71 dead. Both countries agreed on a ceasefire on Tuesday morning after Russia's mediation.
Earlier on Thursday, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl stressed the importance of observing the ceasefire and the need to resume negotiations and resolve all differences exclusively by diplomatic means. He also stressed that the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia should not be subject to negotiations.
Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense for many years, with the most serious escalation breaking out in September 2020 in the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, populated by Armenians that declared its independence from Azerbaijan in 1991 but its status was not recognized internationally. The hostilities ended with a Moscow-brokered trilateral declaration signed in November 2020. Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to completely cease fire and exchange prisoners. However, the situation in the region has remained tense, with sporadic clashes between the two countries.
