The following is an official statement issued by Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding intensified fighting along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Liine of Contact.

We strongly condemn the military actions, unleashed by the Azerbaijani armed forces last night along the entire Line of Contact with Nagorno-Karabakh and the border with Armenia, which targeted also civilian infrastructures and settlements.

Baku's continued efforts to undermine the negotiation process, including the recent rejection to meet with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, along with reinforced military attacks by Azerbaijan are yet another futile attempts of blackmailing.

Baku blatantly defies numerous calls of the international community on the settlement of the conflict through negotiations. In recent days alone the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, the OSCE German Chairmanship, the US Vice President and the US Secretary of State have made such statements. And this is how Azerbaijan reacts to these calls.

On numerous occasions we have drawn the attention of the international community urging to curb Baku's military ambitions having in mind exactly such a development of the situation, created by today's actions of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's yet another step to escalate the situation, given its large-scale nature, the weapons used and selected targets demonstrates that Baku has chosen to consistently escalate the situation, which makes it imperative for the international community to undertake practical measures to bring Azerbaijan to order.

Photo: New Building Housing Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Yerevan