U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the principles for the Karabakh conflict settlement remain unchanged and are based on the Helsinki Act: non-use of force, territorial integrity and people's right to self-determination. The U.S. is ready to help the sides reach a peace agreement, Clinton said during a briefing in Yerevan.

"It is difficult, but achievable. The OSCE Minsk Group is actively working on it. Besides the recent statement of the Co-Chairmen, both Armenia and Azerbaijan understand that there is no other way. Rather serious negotiations took place between Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev in Saint Petersburg, and we hope for a progress," the U.S. Secretary of State noted.

In addition, she noted that the U.S. has repeatedly voiced concern over attempts of military resolution of the problem. "We told the two Presidents that force is unacceptable and the U.S., along with the Co-Chairmen, condemns the recent incident, during which servicemen has died. We urge the sides to follow the ceasefire regime. Its violation only delays the peace process, which has no alternative," stressed Clinton.

For his part, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian noted that negotiations between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers will be held on July 16 on the sidelines of an informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in Astana.