Russian president, Armenian premier discuss Karabakh over phone

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday spoke over the phone with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and discussed the situation in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin emphasized the importance of the “consistent implementation of the fundamental agreements reached by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020-2022.”

Putin reminded that the agreements included aspects related to ensuring security and stability on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, restoring economic and transport ties in South Caucasus, and preparing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

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

A truce has been in force between the neighbors since a 2020 war that forced Armenia to cede territories it had occupied for decades.