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Russia is ready to continue assisting Armenia and Azerbaijan in maintaining peace and stability in the region and calls on both sides to show restraint, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, according to TASS news agency. 

"It is clear from official statements by Baku and Yerevan that the sides have completely opposite assessments of the situation and are accusing each other of what occurred [the shelling of military positions]. Russia is in contact with both Azerbaijan and Armenia for resolving the situation peacefully," the Russian diplomat pointed out.

"Joint work continues to remove tension. We call on both sides to show restraint and prevent new incidents and resolve all disputes solely by political and diplomatic methods. We are ready to continue assisting the sides for the purpose of maintaining peace and stability in the region," the spokeswoman said.

Asked about the possibility of using the provisions envisaged by the Armenian-Russian treaty on mutual assistance as well as mechanisms of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), Zakharova said Russia takes its bilateral and multilateral obligations seriously. 

"Consultations are underway through bilateral contacts. As to the CSTO, according to our information, they are closely following the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border," Zakharova added.