UNITED NATIONS, July 13 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed deep concern over reports of deadly clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, said his spokesman.

The secretary-general called for an immediate end to the fighting and called on all involved to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and refrain from provocative rhetoric, Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

In the clashes on Sunday and Monday, four Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and at least two Armenian police officers were wounded, according to the defense authorities of the two countries.

Guterres has taken note of Monday's statement by France, Russia and the United States, co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Minsk Group, and reiterated his full support for their efforts to address this dangerous situation and search for a peaceful and negotiated settlement to the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Dujarric said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988. Despite a cease-fire in 1994, occasional minor clashes continued.

The latest clashes, in which heavy weaponry was reportedly used, occurred outside Nagorno-Karabakh. Enditem

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