Lavrov, Kerry call for resumption of ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry held a phone talk Monday, expressing concern over the rising tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh and calling for an immediate resumption of the ceasefire regime, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, according to Sputnik. The politicians "expressed serious concern over the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, confirming their calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities," the ministry said in a statement. "It was agreed that Russia, the United States and France — as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group — should step up their efforts in assisting in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Lavrov and Kerry condemned the attempts of certain 'external players' to fuel up the confrontation in Karabakh," the statement reads.