The incident with the helicopter and the subsequent violence underscores once again the need to find a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, State Department representative said.

“We are of course following the operation to recover the bodies of three crew members killed in the November 12th downing of a military helicopter along the line of contact,” Jeff Rathke, director of the press office, said during the briefing on Tuesday.

He urged all sides to show restraint and avoid actions that would increase tensions along the line of contact.

“And we also urge the sides to refocus their efforts to negotiate a peaceful and lasting settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As a co-chair of the Minsk Group, the United States remains ready to assist.

Now, as far as the OSCE, we do understand that an OSCE representative may have been refused access to the site. We would refer you to them for further details, but clearly, we see a need to find a peaceful resolution in Nagorno-Karabakh”.