By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - During a phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday discussed the implementation of trilateral agreements with Azerbaijan, as well as other issues of the southern Caucasus, with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
“As a follow-up to the conversation between Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan, which took place on Dec. 9 in Bishkek as part of the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, discussions continued on the implementation of the fundamental agreements between the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan,” a Kremlin statement said.
The statement further says that particular attention was paid to “ensuring security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as well as projects to restore transport, logistics and trade and economic ties in the South Caucasus.”
The call between Putin and Pashinyan comes hours after a similar conversation between Putin and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.
Relations between the two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Baku liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russian-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.