NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Monday for a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh as the death toll rose during fighting in the breakaway enclave in the South Caucasus.

“It is extremely important that we convey a very clear message to all parties that they should cease fighting immediately, that we should support all efforts to find a peaceful, negotiated soluton,” Stoltenberg said during a visit to Turkey.

“There is no military solution,” he told a news conference.

Meanwhile, Stoltenberg said he expected Turkey — a key ally of Azerbaijan — to use its “considerable” influence to calm the conflict in the Armenian separatist region.

“We are deeply concerned by the escalation of hostilities,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on a visit to Ankara.

“I expect Turkey to use its considerable influence to calm tensions.”

The fighting began on Sept. 27 and has surged to its worst level since the 1990s, when some 30,000 people were killed.

Source: Reuters and AFP