Azernews.Az

MOSCOW – Russian and US Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama discussed regional and global issues including the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh in a recent phone conversation, according to the Russian president’s website.

The leaders of the two countries that co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group brokering settlement to the Karabakh conflict exchanged views on the current state of affairs in the resolution of the long-standing conflict.

Obama welcomed the Russian leader’s efforts to move the peace process forward, particularly, the meeting held by the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders with his mediation in late June.

The Russian and US presidents pledged to continue making a concerted effort to assist Baku and Yerevan in reaching peace.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is currently in the United States where he is due to discuss the Karabakh conflict with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Lavrov is reportedly expected to brief Washington on the Russian president’s recent letter addressed to the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders.

In his message, Medvedev made proposals on ways of resolving the Karabakh conflict after a fruitless round of talks between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan held on June 24 in Kazan. The leaders of the mediating countries – the United States, Russia and France - had urged to finalize a roadmap of a peace agreement during the trilateral summit, but such a document was not signed.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, has been under the occupation of Armenian armed forces since the war that displaced up to a million Azerbaijanis. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.