U.S., Russia discuss bids to end Nagorno-Karabakh conflict - State Department

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shake hands after a news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Harnik/Pool

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to his Russian counterpart on Monday to review efforts to stop the violence that has broken out along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of conflict and how to get Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume talks, the State Department said Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also discussed the cessation of hostilities in Syria, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "They did speak today via phone ... to discuss efforts to secure an immediate end to the violence that has erupted along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of conflict and encourage both Armenia and Azerbaijan to ... resume settlement talks under the auspices of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)," Toner said. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and David Alexander; Editing by Eric Walsh)