UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he was extremely concerned about the resumption of hostilities along the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. He condemned the use of force and deplored the loss of life and the consequences of these events for the civilian population.
"The UN Secretary General urges the parties to immediately end hostilities, reduce tensions and immediately return to constructive negotiations," the UN spokesman said in a statement on behalf of Guterres.
Antonio Guterres noted the important role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and expressed his support for their work. He urged both sides to work closely with them "in order to urgently resume dialogue without any preconditions."
The OSCE Minsk Group, whose activities are known as the "Minsk Process", is authorized to contribute to the search for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation and the United States.
Back in July, when shelling began on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Secretary General called on the parties to show maximum restraint in order to avoid a full-scale conflict, which, in his words, would be a disaster.
Just the other day, in their speeches at the General Assembly session, the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders blamed each other for escalation on the border.
