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Vladimir Putin: "I very much hope that our American partners act together with us"
Photo:
Alexei Druzhinin / AP
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus claims further deaths despite international mediation attempts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that several thousand people have been killed since the resumption of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
So far there have been almost 2,000 deaths on both sides, Putin said in Moscow.
This means that the total number of deaths is "already 5000".
The Russian President referred to "our data".
Putin's figures are higher than those of the two conflicting parties.
Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said that 874 soldiers had been killed so far.
In addition, more than 30 civilians have already died.
The Azerbaijani side speaks of 63 civilians killed, but still does not give any death numbers for the military.
Putin is now also relying on the influence of the USA to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
"I very much hope that our American partners will act together with us and help with the settlement," he said at the so-called Valdai Club, an important expert forum in Russia.
The background to this is the planned talks between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington.
There were already two ceasefire agreements, both of which were broken shortly after they came into force.
Both sides gave each other responsibility for this - as well as for the outbreak of fighting at the end of September.
The first ceasefire was decided with the mediation of the Kremlin.
Armenia sees Russia as its protecting power.
Azerbaijan sees Turkey as its most important ally.
Stoltenberg: Turkey should use "its considerable influence in the region"
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on the government in Ankara on Thursday to help ease the conflict.
Armenia and Azerbaijan would have to cease their hostilities and comply with an immediate ceasefire, said Stoltenberg after a video conference of the NATO defense ministers.
As a NATO member, he expects Turkey to "use its considerable influence in the region to calm tensions".
The conflict has been going on for three decades.
Putin said: "Even if 30 years of negotiations don't produce a result, that doesn't mean to start shooting."
The Kremlin chief urged once more to return to the negotiating table.
Russia, France and the USA mediate in the conflict as the so-called Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Putin did not rule out changing the format without being specific.
Navalny poisoning: Putin refers to relocation to Germany
The Russian President also used the event in Moscow on Thursday to comment on the poison attack on Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny.
This collapsed on August 20 on a flight in Siberia and was flown to Germany two days later for treatment.
Putin claimed that he himself asked the prosecutor to clear the way for Nawalny's exit - even though there were restrictions on the 44-year-old.
If the power apparatus had wanted to poison someone, it would hardly have sent the victim to Germany for healing, Putin said.
The Kremlin denies the allegations of Germany and other countries of being involved in the poison attack on Navalny.
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