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Russia’s top diplomat urges Armenia, Azerbaijan to immediately cease fire

Lavrov stressed that Russia would continue implementing its mediation mission in contacts with Baku and Yerevan "both in its national capacity and within the framework of co-chairmanship in the OSCE Minsk Group"

MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held telephone talks with Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Zograb Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mamedyarov to discuss the aggravation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and urged the parties to the conflict to immediately cease the fire, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"The aggravation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was discussed. Sergey Lavrov urged the sides to immediately cease the fire and display restraint, considering the commitments assumed and also the proposals by representatives of Russia, the United States and France as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office," the ministry said after the results of the minister’s two telephone talks.

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Artillery fire intesity at border with Azerbaijan decreases - Armenian defense ministry

Lavrov stressed that Russia would continue implementing its mediation mission in contacts with Baku and Yerevan "both in its national capacity and within the framework of co-chairmanship in the OSCE Minsk Group."

The Russian side "also noted the importance for all the members of the Minsk Group to show a responsible approach in assessments of the developing situation and refrain from statements and moves that can provoke further escalation of tension."

Azerbaijan’s defense ministry reported on Sunday that Armenian army units had tried to attack Azerbaijan’s positions at the Tovuz section of the border with the use of artillery. According to the ministry, the clashes continued throughout the night. Four Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and four others wounded.

Armenia’s defense ministry said, in turn, that the border situation had aggravated after Azerbaijan’s attempted attack. The Armenian defense ministry said that two Armenian policemen had received minor wounds in shelling by the Azerbaijani side.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region declared its secession from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. During the armed conflict of 1992-1994, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabah and seven neighboring areas. The negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the conflict under the OSCE Minsk Group headed by three co-chairs (Russia, US and France) have been going on since 1992.

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Sergey Lavrov Armenia Azerbaijan

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