WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States is “deeply concerned” by the fresh escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and urges “immediate steps” to reduce tensions, the State Department said.
New tensions erupted over the disputed mountainous region between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as three soldiers were killed and Baku said it had taken control of several strategic heights in the area.
“The United States is deeply concerned by and closely following reports of intensive fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh, including casualties and the loss of life,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price said in a statement late Wednesday.
“We urge immediate steps to reduce tensions and avoid further escalation,” he added.
The violence drew immediate international reaction, with Russia accusing Baku of violating the brittle ceasefire and the European Union urging an “immediate cessation of hostilities”.
In his statement, Price called for “a negotiated, comprehensive, and sustainable settlement of all remaining issues related to or resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
Arch enemies Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two wars — in 2020 and in the 1990s — over Azerbaijan’s Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia ceded swathes of territory it had controlled for decades, and Russia deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers to oversee the fragile truce, but tensions persist despite the ceasefire agreement. — NNN-AGENCIES
