Russian president discusses Karabakh with leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian president discussed on Thursday issues surrounding Karabakh with Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders, the Kremlin said.

A statement said Vladimir Putin discussed with Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan the latest situation around Nagorno-Karabakh with an emphasis on solving practical tasks to ensure security and stability in the region.

"The importance of consistent implementation of all the provisions of the trilateral Statements of November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021 was confirmed," it said.

Relations between the two ex-Soviet countries have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted in September 2021, and a 44-day conflict saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

A tripartite agreement was brokered by Russia to bring an end to the war in November 2020.