The helicopter incident in the Karabakh conflict area poses a threat of fresh escalation of tension, Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) said in a statement.

“This perilous incident provokes a further aggravation of the regional situation.

“The destruction of the helicopter is a dangerous manifestation of violence. A threat of escalation of the conflict has emerged. The South Caucasus situation is exacerbating to a greater extent.

“[But] the most import thing that can prevent such a turn of events is the renunciation of the use of force, strict adherence to the ceasefire agreement, and inadmissibility of provocative actions.

“It is [also] important to ensure the continuation of the Karabakh conflict settlement negotiation process,” the CSTO Secretary General’s statement specifically runs.

A Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Air Force helicopter was shot down on Wednesday, and as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The helicopter was downed during a training flight in the airspace of the eastern sector of the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact. As a result, three pilots were killed: The commander of the helicopter, Major Sergey Sahakyan, and Senior Lieutenant Sargis Nazaryan and Lieutenant Azat Sahakyan.