Armenia-Azerbaijan
ceasefire must be
observed – Putin

Russian President Vladimir
Putin stressed the need for
strict observance of a
ceasefire agreement between
Armenia and Azerbaijan
during a phone call with
Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan, the Kremlin
said on Friday (14).

The call was held late on
Thursday (13) at Armenia’s
request after its Defence
Ministry accused Azerbaijan
of moving forces into its
territory and Armenia’s
prosecutor general opened a
criminal case into “an
infringement of territorial
integrity”.

Azerbaijan dismissed the
accusations, saying it was
enforcing its own border.
Armenia said on Thursday it
had stopped the Azeri
advance and that Azeri troops
had returned to their
positions. There were no
reports of casualties.
Russia brokered a ceasefire
last year that ended a bloody
conflict between Azeri and
ethnic Armenian forces over
the Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave that locked in
territorial gains for
Azerbaijan.
During the phone call,
Pashinyan told Putin he had
decided to appeal to the
Collective Security Treaty
Organisation (CSTO), a six-
member military alliance that
is led by Russia and includes
Armenia, over the
infringement, the TASS news
agency cited the Armenian
cabinet as saying.

“Pashinyan spoke in favour
of constructive dialogue and
cooperation, with the aim of
solving all problems that arise
through peaceful, political
and diplomatic means,” the
Kremlin said in a statement.
The Kremlin said Russia
was determined to continue
mediation efforts and
maintain close contacts with
both Yerevan and Baku.
(Reuters)