Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in a telephone conversation and also pointed out the lack of alternatives to a diplomatic settlement. This was announced on Monday by the Kremlin's press service. The conversation was initiated by the Turkish side.
The Presidents exchanged opinions on the developments in the Trans Caucasus related to the aggravation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of preventing any steps that could cause an escalation in tensions. Both presidents spoke in favour of resolving the conflict through peaceful means, through talks," the message reads.
They expressed their interest in coordinating efforts to achieve stabilisation in the region. Putin and Erdogan also pointed out "the lack of alternatives to a political or diplomatic settlement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, one based on international law, in the interests of both the Armenian and Azerbaijani people," the press service added.
They reported that the presidents also touched upon some topical issues on the bilateral agenda during the conversation. "In particular, they expressed appreciation for their cooperation in fighting the coronavirus, which allowed them to make the decision to partially resume regular flights between several Russian and Turkish cities from August 1," the message reports. Vladimir Putin congratulated the President of Turkey and the Turkish people on the approaching Kurban Bayram holiday.
The situation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated on July 12. Azerbaijan declared an attempt by the Armenian armed forces to attack the positions of the Republic's army using artillery, while Yerevan called the attempt to break through from the Azerbaijani side the reason for the aggravation. Both states reported military personnel killed. According to both sides, the situation has been relatively calm since July 17, but reports of shelling near the border and the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh have been received almost daily.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh began in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous region announced its secession from the Azerbaijani SSR. During the 1992-1994 armed conflict, Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding areas. Since 1992, negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict have been held within the framework of the OSCE Minsk group, which is chaired by Russia, the United States and France.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS