The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has conducted telephone conversations with the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the prime minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan.
Aliyev spoke yesterday (23 June) with the Russian leader on the initiative of the Azerbaijani side. The presidents reportedly discussed practical aspects of implementing the agreements reached by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia on Nagorno-Karabakh on 9 November 2020 and 11 January 2021. The conversation focused on intensifying trilateral efforts to restore economic ties and transport communications in the South Caucasus. The leaders also reaffirmed their intention to strengthen the Russia-Azerbaijan bilateral relationship.
Putin today (24 June) spoke with Pashinyan, congratulating him on his party’s victory in Sunday’s (20 June) parliamentary elections, wishing him success in the process of forming a government. The Kremlin reports that the men reaffirmed their mutual disposition to strengthen bilateral ties between Russia and Armenia. The leaders also reportedly discussed the implementation of the agreements made on the two aforementioned dates. In this context, the Armenian readout reports that Pashinyan re-emphasised the primary importance to Armenia of the return of the Armenians that remain in Azerbaijani detention.