US State Department: no military solution to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

There is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, the US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told the briefing.

He pointed out that tensions remain on the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Our co-chair of the Minsk Group has visited the region. We have remained in contact with both governments, all sides in this conflict," Toner noted.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms any violence along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of conflict and we need to see the peace process back up and running and as soon as possible," the representative of the State Department said.

Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries 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 UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.