The politicians "expressed serious concern over the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, confirming their calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities," the ministry said in a statement.
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988, when the Armenian-dominated autonomous region sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. In September 2015, the conflict escalated, with the sides blaming each other for violating the truce.
"It was agreed that Russia, the United States and France — as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group — should step up their efforts in assisting in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Lavrov and Kerry condemned the attempts of certain 'external players' to fuel up the confrontation in Karabakh," the statement reads.
