U.S. 'deeply concerned' about Azerbaijan troop movements - State Department

Washington on Friday reiterated its calls to Armenia and Azerbaijan to use direct communication channels to immediately de-escalate, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

"We are closely monitoring the situation along the line of contact established... following the November 2020 ceasefire," Jalina Porter, State Department's principal deputy spokesperson, told TURAN's correspondent during the department's press briefing.

"The United States is deeply concerned about Azerbaijan troop movements. Troop movements and other escalatory measures are irresponsible and unnecessarily provocative," she said.

Speaking about the recent phone calls between Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried and both Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign minister on March 24th, the spokesperson said, the assistant secretary "just reiterated what Secretary Blinken told the Prime Minister Pashinyan as well as President Aliyev on March 21st and 22nd, which was calling both sides to show restraint and intensify diplomatic engagement to find comprehensive solutions to all of the outstanding issues."

"Armenia and Azerbaijan just need to use direct communication channels to immediately de-escalate," she added.

The United States, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, "remains deeply committed to working with the sides to achieve a long-term political settlement of the conflict", the spokesperson said.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.