Putin calls on Azerbaijani President to guarantee rights and security of Armenian population in the Nagorno-Karabakh region

During a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of ensuring the rights and security of the Armenian population in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The Russian presidency noted in a statement today that the two presidents pointed out during the call, which took place at the initiative of the Azerbaijani side, the importance of consistent implementation of the agreements reached, with the assistance of the Russian peacekeeping unit, regarding the complete cessation of hostilities in Karabakh. The two presidents attached great importance to the negotiations that began with the mediation of peacekeeping forces between representatives of Baku and Stepanakert.

The statement added: Priority steps to enhance the stability of the situation and overcome humanitarian problems in the region were also discussed, and the readiness of the Azerbaijani side to interact on these issues with Russian peacekeeping forces was emphasized.

The statement noted that President Aliyev apologized to President Putin and expressed his deep condolences for the death of military personnel from the Russian peacekeeping forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on Wednesday.

Aliyev stressed that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted into what happened and all those responsible will be punished, noting that the prosecutor’s offices in the two countries will be in close contact in this regard.

It is noteworthy that a Russian military bus that was evacuating citizens from Nagorno-Karabakh was bombed on Wednesday by Azerbaijani forces, which led to the killing of a number of soldiers from the Russian peacekeeping unit.

Inas Abdulkareem