WASHINGTON, March 6. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conference discussing key issues of bilateral importance, including the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the US Department of State said in a statement.

"Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Armenia bilateral partnership," the statement from the US Department of State reads.

"The Secretary stressed the significance of respect for the rule of law and democratic institutions, and he expressed our continuing support for the development of democratic processes and institutions in Armenia," according to the statement.

"The Secretary welcomed efforts to achieve a lasting political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict benefiting the people of the region," the statement added.

On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10.

The Russian leader said at that time that the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would maintain the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region. Besides, Baku and Yerevan must exchange prisoners and the bodies of those killed.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and in July 2020. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.