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The United States takes allegations of ethnic cleansing, genocide or other atrocities seriously, U.S. Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday as it declined to weigh in on whether ethnic cleaning took place in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We are in touch with contacts on the ground about the situation. We won’t shy from taking appropriate actions to respond to allegations of atrocities and promote accountability for those responsible for atrocities when we see evidence that they’ve taken place,” he told a press briefing.

“But as always, a determination regarding genocide or ethnic cleansing is based on a deliberate, evidence-based process.  It’s not something I can speak to with any degree of finality from this podium,” Miller added.

He renewed the U.S. call for an international monitoring mission in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"It is certainly true that a hundred thousand, or I should say around a hundred thousand, ethnic Armenians have departed Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia.  Now, we don’t know – I don’t think any of us can say whether – what percentage of those plan to remain in Armenia permanently, what percentage of them may want to come back, if the conditions allowed, if they felt sufficient assurances about their treatment if they would return, which is why we are reiterating our call for an independent international monitoring mission that would provide transparency and reassurance to the population of Nagorno-Karabakh that the rights and securities of ethnic Armenians would be protected, particularly for any of those that wish to return.  Azerbaijan has made those assurances.  We think there ought to be an international monitoring mission there to observe and guarantee them," Miller said.