Putin, Trump, Macron call for 'immediate' cease-fire in Karabakh

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The presidents of France, Russia and the US on Thursday called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately cease hostilities in their conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region that flared up earlier this week.

Emmanuel Macron, Vladimir Putin and Donal Trump said in a joint statement that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan must resume peaceful negotiations.

"We mourn the victims and express our condolences to the families of those killed and injured," the statement said.

"We also call on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume negotiations on settlement in good faith and without preconditions, with the assistance of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs."

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.

Border clashes broke out again early on Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties. Azerbaijan's parliament declared a state of war in some of its cities and regions following Armenia's border violations and attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.