“We regret for the escalating tension over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

The US Deputy Chief of Mission to Azerbaijan, Dereck Hogan, told the abovementioned to journalists, reported APA news agency of Azerbaijan.

“The latest incident once more reminded us of the importance of the peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he stated.

The diplomat also said they have called on the sides to avoid doing anything that would possibly aggravate the situation.

“We call on both sides to focus on the peace negotiations,” he added.

The Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire and shot down a Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Air Force helicopter on Wednesday. The chopper was downed during a training flight, and nearby the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact. As a result, three pilots are believed to have been killed: The commander of the helicopter, Major Sergey Sahakyan, and Senior Lieutenant Sargis Nazaryan and Lieutenant Azat Sahakyan. Information was disseminated some time thereafter, however, that a member of the helicopter crew may still be alive. The adversary, on the other hand, continues to fire intensive shots toward the crash site not allowing the Karabakh side access to the area.