Russian President Vladimir Putin will host talks in St Petersburg on June 20 between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia about the conflict in breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh, which flared up earlier this year, the Kremlin said.
By organising the meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Russia is “continuing its mission as a mediator” in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
He emphasized that Russia “will take active steps to assist the sides in the settlement of the conflict.” Ushakov reminded that Moscow already played an important role in introducing a ceasefire in the conflict zone at the start of April 2016.
Putin has already held several telephone conversations with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, visits of defense ministers and foreign ministers have took place, and Chiefs of General Staffs of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been invited to Moscow, the presidential aide reminded. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also visited Yerevan and Baku at the start of April, he added.
“We will now continue our mediatory mission, of course, in full cooperation with other co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, on the basis of principles proposed in accordance with the statements of the presidents of Russia, United States and France from 2009 to 2013. We will see what results this three-party contact will lead to. Our side will hold the most interested and active dialogue,” Ushakov concluded.
Sargsyan and Aliyev last met in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on May 16.
