UNITED NATIONS, Oct 06 (APP):UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the continuing escalation of violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone between Armenia and Azerbaijan despite repeated international appeals for them to immediately stop the fighting. “He is gravely concerned by reports of the extension of hostilities, including the targeting of populated areas. He reminds all sides of their obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure under international humanitarian law,” Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement issued Monday night. The statement urged the sides – Armenia and Azerbaijan – to immediately cease all hostilities and reiterated that there was no military solution to the conflict. ”He (Guterres) appeals to all relevant regional and international actors to actively exercise their influence to achieve an urgent end to the fighting and return to negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” Dujarric said. The Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States, was set up in 1992 by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. On Monday, the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries … Continue reading UN chief condemns escalating violence in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone