MOSCOW, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held a telephone conversation on Sunday, discussing the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The Russian side expressed concern over the increase in casualties among the civilian population. The need for an early ceasefire was noted," it said.
Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to assist the parties in returning the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process to the political and diplomatic channels under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group in accordance with the joint statement of the presidents of Russia, the United States and France, according to the statement.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, representing the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between countries involved in the armed conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in a joint statement.