WASHINGTON, September 18. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to observe the ceasefire with Armenia and work on settling outstanding problems between Baku and Yerevan by means of talks, the US Department of State said on Sunday after their telephone call.

"Secretary Blinken welcomed a halt to recent hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He urged President Aliyev to adhere to the ceasefire, disengage military forces, and work to resolve all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan through peaceful negotiations," it said in a press statement.

Armenia’s defense ministry said in the small hours on Tuesday that several settlements had come under shelling by Azerbaijani troops. Meanwhile, Baku said it was a response to Yerevan’s provocations. Later, Azerbaijan said that a ceasefire agreement had been reached but Armenia says artillery shelling continues. The Armenian Security Council held an extraordinary session and decided to seek assistance from Russia to trigger provisions of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, as well as from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the United Nations Security Council.