Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized an urgent need to end hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, while speaking to the Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan on Monday, according to a statement made by the Kremlin.
"On the initiative of the Armenian side, a phone conversation took place between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan [...] The discussion of the escalated armed confrontation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, which has become large-scale and led to serious casualties on both sides, including among civilians, was continued," the statement said.
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed concern over the ongoing clashes and the rise in civilian casualties, reiterating the need of an early ceasefire during the conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov.
Calls from the international community to end hostilities and return to OSCE-observed negotiations between the parties have been coming since the beginning of a new round of clashes in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh on 27 September.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of sparking the hostilities.