BERLIN, September 9. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has held a telephone conversation with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday to express "deep concern about the constantly rising tensions" on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent weeks, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit has told the media.

"The German government calls for refraining from any military escalation. First of all, now [according to Scholz] it is necessary to reach an early mutual understanding regarding the supply of humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh, including the opening of the Lachin corridor," Hebestreit noted.

"The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan can only be resolved through diplomacy. All sides must now work constructively towards this goal without delay," he concluded.

On Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed that Azerbaijan had concentrated troops on the border with Armenia and the disengagement line with Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku rejected these charges. Also on Thursday, Russian peacekeepers recorded two ceasefire violations in the Shusha district in Nagorno-Karabakh. There were no casualties. An investigation is in progress.

On Friday, Baku said that Armenia was building up manpower and military equipment on the border with Azerbaijan. According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Armenia is "openly digging new trenches and building fortifications."

Against the background of statements about an aggravation around Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan announced joint exercises with the United States.