Lavrov and Kerry agree to intensify efforts to resolve Karabakh conflict

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and United States Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the escalation in the Karabakh conflict zone in a telephone conversation on Monday, the Russian Foreig Ministry has said.

"It was agreed that Russia, the U.S. and France, as the co-chairs of the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] Minsk Group, should intensify their efforts to assist in resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the ministry said on its website.

"Lavrov and Kerry have condemned the attempts by certain 'outside players' to instigate a confrontation around Karabakh," reads the statement.

The foreign policy chiefs "expressed serious concern over the escalation of the standoff in Nagorno-Karabakh, having reaffirmed their urgent call for immediate ceasefire," the ministry said.

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