Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (September 20) called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to show “
restraint
” after the worst clashes between the armies of these two Caucasian countries since 2020, which left nearly 300 dead.
“
We call on each side to show restraint, strictly observe the ceasefire and firmly follow the tripartite statements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia
,” Vladimir Putin said during a meeting. a ceremony for the presentation of credentials to some twenty ambassadors in Moscow.
“Intensive political dialogue”
More than 200 Armenian soldiers and nearly 80 Azerbaijani soldiers died last week in fierce fighting on the border between the two countries, an unprecedented escalation since a war in 2020. “
I insist that any situation of conflict between states close to us are of serious concern
," Vladimir Putin said.
The Russian president's remarks come after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday called for a "
lasting peace
" between Baku and Yerevan, following a meeting with the heads of Armenian and Azerbaijani diplomacy in New York in the USA.
According to him, Armenia and Azerbaijan are ready “
to make peace
”.
On Sunday, visiting Yerevan, the speaker of the American House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, condemned the "
illegal
" attacks in Baku, according to Washington.
Tuesday, Vladimir Putin recalled that Moscow and Yerevan “
maintained an intensive political dialogue
”, Russia being an important financial and military support for Armenia.
Since 2020, Russia has indeed deployed a peacekeeping force on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
But this proved ineffective in preventing the military escalation of the past week.
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And Moscow is engaged militarily in Ukraine in a difficult operation, leaving little room to intervene further in this conflict between these two former Soviet republics.
Last week's clashes were the most intense since a war between the two countries in 2020 for control of the Nagorny Karabakh enclave, which left more than 6,500 dead and led Yerevan to cede territory to Baku.
Before 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan had already clashed in the 1990s for Nagorny Karabakh, a conflict which left more than 30,000 dead.