The US Department of State reacted to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement, who said that “Yerevan is our historical land, and we, Azerbaijanis, should return to these lands”, RFE/RL's Armenian service reported.

The US supports the Minsk Group co-chairs’ statement from February 11, which urges parties to refrain from inflammatory statements and provocative actions, State Department said in response to Azatutyun inquiry.

The United States also encourages the parties to respect the agreements reached during the summit in Geneva in October 2017 and to take actions to intensify talks and weaken the tension on the line of contact.

On February 8, Azerbaijan's president has claimed that Yerevan, Zangezur and Sevan are Azerbaijan's “historic lands.”

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on February 15 that the statement did not clearly contribute to reducing tension, while France urged “to refrain from any further provocative action that can only increase tensions.”