Azernews.Az

WASHINGTON D.C. – The United States has called on Azerbaijan and Armenia -- the two South Caucasus republics locked in conflict over Nagorno (Upper) Karabakh -- to continue holding negotiations and refrain from strongly-worded statements.

Acting Deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner, addressing a press briefing in Washington on Thursday, urged the parties "to remain in dialogue and avoid any rhetoric that would add to tensions."

Toner was replying to a question about "a seeming elevation of the rhetoric in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue", with the president of Armenia threatening to resolve the conflict "once and for all through force".

The State Department representative added that the U.S. remains engaged in the Minsk process, referring to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France that is brokering Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks.

President Serzh Sargsyan, who attended recent military exercises held in the occupied parts of Azerbaijan’s Aghdam region, claimed Azerbaijan will be dealt a "devastating" blow if it uses force to resolve the conflict over the occupied Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. "If push suddenly comes to shove, we will manage not just to repeat what happened in 1992-1994 but to finally resolve the conflict and the issue will be closed once and for all," Sargsyan alleged, referring to the war in the early 1990s in which Armenian forces occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani regions.

Azerbaijan responded by saying it is not concerned over Armenia’s frequent military exercises, labeling the military exercises conducted in Armenia and occupied Azerbaijani territories as a stunt aimed at diverting public attention in Armenia from stand-off in the country’s armed forces and aggravating social conditions at home.

Numerous rounds of OSCE-brokered negotiations on Karabakh settlement have been largely fruitless so far. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned that the country’s land will be freed at any cost.