Russia should stay neutral in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as required by the mandate given to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday, AzerTAc News Agency reported.
"First, we did not attack Armenia. Secondly, Russia is a co-chairman of the Minsk Group and it should maintain a neutral position, like all co-chairs, in line with the mandate given to the OSCE," Aliyev stressed.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to start consultations to determine the type and scope of assistance that Russia can provide to Armenia to ensure its security. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would provide all necessary assistance to Yerevan in accordance with the friendship agreement if the clashes were moved directly to the Armenian territory.
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on September 27 and active fighting began on the disputed territory. Azerbaijan and Armenia report killed and wounded, including among the civilian population. Ceasefire agreements had been reached three times already but the sides reported violations almost immediately.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS