US State Department: Azerbaijan shelling inside Armenia

The United States has seen sufficient evidence that Azerbaijan is shelling inside Armenia and has given significant damage to Armenian infrastructure, Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

Price said the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken “urged President Aliyev to cease hostilities immediately, to disengage military forces, and to work to resolve all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan through negotiations that are peaceful and diplomacy that is constructive.”

49 Armenian troops and 50 Azerbaijani troops have been reportedly killed in clashes that according to the Armenian Defense Ministry began with coordinated attacks by Azerbaijan, while the latter claimed that fighting started upon "provocative actions" by Armenian units.

Price said that Secretary Blinken has been personally engaged on the conflict and he was on the phone with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan until after 1:00 a.m. underscoring the importance of an immediate cessation of these hostilities. 

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict between the neighboring countries. 

The council of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held a meeting via video link on Tuesday evening to discuss the outbreak of hostilities. The UN Security Council will also hold a meeting on Wednesday.