Psaki “has no confirmation” of Azeri border shellings

PanARMENIAN.Net - As an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, the U.S. is committed to promoting a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the U.S. Department of State spokesperson said at a daily press briefing.

“It’s our hope that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will accept French President Hollande’s invitation to hold a summit in Paris as soon as possible, and that they will agree to structured negotiations that will lead to a peace agreement. And we call on both sides to redouble their efforts at the negotiation table and to focus on the benefits that peace will bring to people across the region. Obviously, inflammatory rhetoric and statements run counter to the principle of reducing tensions, and so we certainly think that that damages the peace process, and that’s why we’re encouraging them to redouble their efforts,” Jen Psaki said.

When asked to comment on the reports that Azerbaijan violated ceasefire not only in line of contact with Karabakh, but also across the state border with Armenia, severely shelling civilian rural settlements in northeastern part of Armenia, Psaki noted, “I don’t have any confirmation of those specific reports, but clearly, a peaceful settlement is in the interests of both countries.”