The Minsk Group Co-Chairs expressed their “serious concern” regarding yesterday’s downing of an Armenian helicopter by Azerbaijan near the Karabakh Line of Contact.

The Co-Chairs said they were deeply worried by the events that prompted the incident and called on the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to respect the ceasefire and honor their past commitments to find a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

Without proportioning any blame, the Co-Chairs appealed to all sides to avoid any steps that would further escalate tensions in the region.