Russian President Vladimir Putin held telephone conversations with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders praised the effective actions of Russian peacekeepers in the region, the Kremlin press service said on Friday.
It is noted that the talks, which took place on March 11 and 12, addressed "practical aspects of the implementation of the agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh, recorded in the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021."
"It was stated with satisfaction that the ceasefire regime was strictly observed and the situation in the region remained generally stable and calm," the Kremlin reported. - "Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan praised the effective actions of the Russian peacekeepers deployed on the line of contact and along the Lachin corridor".
The talks also touched on unblocking economic and transport ties in the South Caucasus. "In this context, the work of a working group co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of the three countries was noted in a positive way," the Kremlin added.
It is specified that the leaders also exchanged views on topical issues of Russian-Azerbaijani and Russian-Armenian cooperation.
On the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh
On September 27 last year, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated and active fighting broke out there. On November 9, the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, as well as the Armenian Prime Minister signed a joint statement on the complete cessation of hostilities in the region. According to the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the occupied positions, then a number of areas were transferred to Baku's control, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the line of contact and the Lachin corridor.
Baku and Yerevan have disputed Nagorno-Karabakh's ownership since February 1988, when the region announced it was seceding from the Azerbaijani SSR. During the 1992-1994 armed conflict, Baku lost control of Karabakh and seven adjacent districts. Negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group, headed by the co-chairs - Russia, the US and France - have been going on since 1992.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS