Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Washington has condemned the escalation of tensions along the contact line of Armenian-Azerbaijani troops.

U.S. Department of States officials said on September 10 that they have received credible reports that Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have used mortars and other heavy weapons along the international border, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to villages.

“We are deeply troubled by the escalation and condemn any military action that targets civilians,” reads a press statement by department spokesperson John Kirby.

The U.S. called for an immediate end to such violence, for the de-escalation of tensions, and in the strongest possible terms, for the avoidance of civilian casualties.

“We also remind the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan of their commitment to reach a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict working closely with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,” Kirby said.

The Armenian armed forces have recently aggravated tensions on the frontline using 60 mm and 82 mm caliber rocket-propelled grenades and large-caliber machine guns.

In a recent attempt at aggression toward Azerbaijani civilians, the Armenian military fired at a wedding ceremony in a settlement near the frontline. As a result of the shelling by the Armenian military, three people – two adults and a minor – were wounded.

In the meantime, the United States also ruled out recognition of results of so-called “elections” in Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The so-called ‘elections’ to the ‘self-governing bodies’ of the puppet separatist regime in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories is scheduled for September 13.

“In the context of a comprehensive settlement of the conflict, we recognize the role of the population in Nagorno-Karabakh in deciding their future,” Kirby told reporters on September 10.

He however stressed that the U.S. does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent sovereign state and it will not accept the results of the so-called “elections” as affecting the legal status of the region.

Kirby also noted that “the so-called elections in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

Earlier, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry condemned the so-called elections, describing it as an open violation of international law and stating that it does not have any legal weight.

Many countries have already denounced the so-called elections as illegitimate. The French and UK embassies in Azerbaijan stated that their countries don’t recognize “elections” in the separatist region of Azerbaijan.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s.

Following the invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia established a separatist regime in the occupied territories and strives for recognition of the puppet regime from the international community.

As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing, almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.

Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian, and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on the Armenian withdrawal from Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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