The United States joins the Minsk Group co-chairs in calling for the sides to resume substantive negotiations as soon as possible, the Department of State said in a statement on Monday, July 14.

In the statement, the State Department said Washington condemns in the strongest terms the violence along the Armenia-Azerbaijan international border. 

"We urge the sides to stop using force immediately, use the existing direct communication links between them to avoid further escalation, and strictly adhere to the ceasefire."

"As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States remains strongly committed to helping the sides achieve a lasting, peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We will remain actively engaged in efforts to accomplish that goal."

The statement also emphasized the importance of returning OSCE monitors to the region as soon as circumstances allow.

Azerbaijan launched two failed infiltration attempts on the border with Armenia whose troops immediately identified the saboteurs and thwarted them back to their positions on Sunday. On Monday morning, the Azerbaijani military resumed provocations and continued firing on Armenian positions. On the Armenian side, two police officers and three contract servicemen have sustained slight injuries, while Azerbaijan has reported at least four deaths. Azerbaijan also fired from large caliber grenade launchers to target civilians' homes in border villages. A source told PanARMENIAN.Net , meanwhile, that The Armenian Armed Forces have now "occupied" a new position in the province of Tavush, which neutralizes the communication routes of one of the largest Azerbaijani bases in the region.