Putin, Erdogan advocate peaceful solutions to Armenia-Azerbaijan tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke in favor of resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan border tensions through peaceful means during a phone conversation Monday.

During the call at the initiative of the Turkish side, Putin stressed the importance of preventing any steps that could cause an escalation in the tensions, the Kremlin said in a press release.

Putin and Erdogan expressed their interest in coordinating efforts to achieve stabilization in the region, according to the Kremlin.

The two leaders also underlined the lack of alternatives to a political or diplomatic settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of international law and in the interests of both the Armenian and Azerbaijani people.

Armed clashes, which erupted earlier this month in the region between the two countries, have caused multiple deaths.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988. Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a ceasefire was reached, but there have been occasional minor clashes along the borders.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)