MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed in a phone call on Monday coordination of efforts to deescalate the situation in self-proclaimed Nagorny-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan and urged an immediate cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"The ministers expressed serious concern over the sharp escalation of tensions along the separation line in Nagorno-Karabakh, which has already led to numerous casualties, including among the civilian population," the ministry said in a statement.
"Lavrov and Steinmeier agreed that the standoff in the region has no military solution, an called on both sides to exercise restraint, to immediately cease all hostilities and to return to the negotiating table under the OSCE Minsk Group aegis," the statement said.
The OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorny-Karabakh, co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France, is expected to meet on April 2 in Vienna at the ambassadorial level to discuss the issue.
