Clinton says escalation on Azerbaijani-Armenian line of contact should stop

The U.S. Department of State is concerned on tense situation on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijan troops.

"I am deeply concerned on the escalation on the line of contact which can bring to unpredictable consequences. This must stop and everyone should keep working on it and follow ceasefire agreement," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters at a press conference in Baku on Wednesday.

"I am very sad about incident with Azerbaijani soldiers. It's painful to think about it. There is no military solution to the conflict. We are trying to do everything we can to reach peaceful agreement. There has to be an agreement. I am trying to do everything I can to reach resolution," Clinton said.

It should be recalled that at 06:30 on June 5 Armenian sabotage group's efforts to enter Azerbaijani Armed Forces' positions in Ashagi Eskipara village in the Gazakh region failed and it retreated by suffering losses.

As a result of the fight, 4 soldiers of Azerbaijani Armed Forces were killed.
Another Azerbaijani soldier was killed as a result of fire opened from nameless heights in Gazakh region.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the US - are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/