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US Chargé d’Affaires of Kate Byrnes made a statement in connection with the helicopter downed by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan in Nagorno Karabakh on November 12. She noted that there is no alternative to a peaceful, negotiated settlement.

The statement also reads that the United States warmly welcomes the three Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, together with CiO Personal Representative Ambassador Kasprzyk.

We welcome the three meetings of the Presidents during the past year in Sochi, Newport, and Paris, which reduced tensions and had a stabilizing effect along the Line of Contact. We expect the Presidents to continue their dialogue in the coming year, with an aim toward entering into formal negotiations and developing meaningful Confidence Building Measures. There is no alternative to a peaceful, negotiated settlement,” reads the statement.

She also noted that the United States regrets the loss of life as a result of yesterday’s downing of a helicopter along the Line of Contact. “We urge all sides to respect the ceasefire and not to take any actions to escalate the situation. As a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States remains deeply committed – as Ambassador Warlick has underscored this morning – to working with the sides to find a lasting and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh,” she noted.

As NKR Defense Ministry press service reported earlier, on November 12, at around 1:45 pm, Nagorno Karabakh Air Forces’ Mi-24 helicopter was shot by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces during military training flight in the airspace in the eastern section of Karabakh – Azerbaijan Line of Contact. The land, on which the incident occurred, is in close proximity to the line of contact. Opponent after the incident continued intense bombardment scene from weapons of different caliber. The place where the helicopter was shot is close to the Line of Contact. The enemy continued to fire shots from weapons of different calibers after the incident.

Meanwhile, the press secretary of Armenian Defense Minister Artsrun Hovhannisyan wrote on his Facebook page that Azerbaijani Armed Forces have carried out an unprecedented provocation on the border with the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh; this has also led to escalation of the situation. In the same time the fabrications of the Azerbaijani side, as if the Armenian helicopters had attacked their positions and they allegedly had merely responded to this step, are senseless. "The study of the wreckage of the helicopter will confirm that he was not armed. The escalation of the Azerbaijani side has continued even after the helicopter fall down. Moreover, the Azerbaijani side continued shelling, not allowing even to get closer to the pilots. The consequences of this unprecedented escalation will be very harmful for the Azerbaijani side and will remain as a stain on the conscience of the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan. Captain of the helicopter was Major Sergei Sahakyan. Information about the fate of the crew will be given later," Artsrun Hovhannisyan stated.