Russian president, Armenia premier discuss Karabakh region over phone

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of the South Caucasus that in fall 2020 saw a 44-day war, with the Armenia's prime minister, the Kremlin said in a statement.

In a phone call, Putin and Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed the importance of consistently implementing trilateral agreements signed in 2020 and 2021 between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, said the statement.

The stabilizing role of a Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region, deployed as part of the accords, was noted during the call, it added.

Putin and Pashinyan also exchanged views on further developing ties between Moscow and Yerevan.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian Army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and around 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.

In January 2021, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group in Karabakh.