Putin emphasizes importance of giving boost to Baku-Yerevan talks on Nagorno-Karabakh

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. In a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of a dialogue between Baku and Yerevan on the settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh, saying he was ready to assist in that matter. During the telephone conversation, the Azerbaijani leader "shared impressions from his meeting with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement that took place in Vienna on March 29," the Kremlin press service said. "The Russian president emphasized the importance of giving a boost to negotiations between Baku and Yerevan. He expressed Russia’s readiness to continue assistance in the search for the ways to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh problem peacefully, in particular within the format of the OSCE Minsk Group," it added. Besides, "discussing issues on the bilateral agenda, the presidents confirmed mutual bid to expand mutually advantageous cooperation on different trajectories," it said. On April 1, Putin discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He also confirmed Moscow’s readiness to assist in the search for solutions on key aspects of the settlement in that region. Pashinyan briefed Putin on his March 29 meeting with Aliyev and "expressed gratitude to the Russian side for substantial mediatory role in the process of negotiations," the press service said. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict The conflict between neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up but was mainly populated by Armenians, broke out in the late 1980s. In 1991-1994, the confrontation spilled over into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and some adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Thousands left their homes on both sides in a conflict that killed 30,000. A truce was called between Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh republic on one side and Azerbaijan on the other in May 1994. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been held since 1992 in the format of the so-called OSCE Minsk Group, comprising along with its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States - Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Turkey. Baku insists Nagorno-Karabakh be an autonomy within Azerbaijan. Read more