The United States, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, certainly remains committed to helping both sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.

She was commenting on a question regarding the Armenian military helicopter downed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, the US Department of State said.

“Obviously, we are engaged through diplomatic channels with both sides about our belief that they need to redouble efforts to get back to a peaceful negotiation,” Psaki said.

She added that retaliation, further violence, escalating tensions certainly don’t help that effort.

Azerbaijani armed forces shot down a MI-24 military helicopter belonging to the Armenian army and averted the enemy’s deliberate attack on November 12. This was the first major incident in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone since early August, when an unprecedented exchange of fire claimed lives on both sides.

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 percent 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 four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

AzerNews