The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges all parties to the Karabakh conflict to refrain from any actions likely to lead to further escalation of the situation on the ground, the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said at a Daily Press Briefing, the UN official website reports.
"I was asked yesterday about the shooting down of a helicopter near the Line of Contact between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I can say the following: the Secretary-General shares the very serious concerns expressed by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] Minsk Group and other international partners regarding the ceasefire breach on 12 November 2014 along the Line of Contact, including the shooting down of a military helicopter and resulting casualties among the crew members.
He reiterates his previous call on all parties to fully respect and adhere to the ceasefire agreement. The Secretary-General also urges all sides to refrain from any actions likely to lead to further escalation of the situation on the ground and to fulfill their repeated commitments to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The Secretary-General reiterates his full support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and the three Co-Chairs to assist the parties in pursuing a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," says the statement.
To recall, the Azerbaijani armed forces downed an Armenian Mi-24 while it was conducting a training flight near the Line on Contact on 12 November. Three officers of the NKR Armed Forces, Sergey Sahakyan, Sargis Nazaryan and Azat Sahakyan, were on board. The NKR State Committee for POWs, Captives and the Missing has requested the ICRC assistance in returning the crewmembers of the downed helicopter. The Azeri officer that shot the helicopter down has been awarded a medal.