MOSCOW, September 20 The Kremlin is awaiting agreement on the timing a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a similar conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is not yet expected, but if necessary it can also take place, said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.
«Efforts continue. We are awaiting agreement on the timing of the telephone conversation between President Putin and Prime Minister Pashinyan. As soon as this conversation takes place, we will inform you,» Peskov said.
In response to a clarifying question from journalists about whether there will be a similar conversation with Aliyev, he replied: “Not yet, contacts continue at the working level. If necessary, such a conversation, of course, can also take place.”
On September 19, Azerbaijan began “anti-terrorist measures of a local nature” to restore the constitutional order in Karabakh. Baku called the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region and the dissolution of the unrecognized authorities in Stepanakert as a condition for establishing peace. Yerevan called what was happening aggression and stated that there were no Armenian units in Karabakh.
The Russian Ministry of Defense called on the parties to the conflict to immediately cease fire and continue negotiations. The Russian military department noted that Russian peacekeepers organized medical care for the victims and the evacuation of the civilian population of Karabakh from the most dangerous areas. Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the conflicting parties to immediately stop the bloodshed, stop hostilities and eliminate civilian casualties. The Russian Federation, as follows from the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calls for an immediate return to the implementation of the trilateral agreements of November 2020.