Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Moscow hailed the resumption of direct contacts between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenian media reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made the remarks on December 2, after talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan.

He said the state of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed in the context of regional and international issues.

Putin said he discussed the prospects of settling the conflict with Azerbaijani President during his visit to Azerbaijan on August 2013.

"I am very pleased to note that the meeting, which was held in Vienna, was evidently positive in nature. We hope for common sense and the desire of both sides to settle the conflict," Putin said.

Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsian met in Vienna on November 19, along with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Following the meeting, the Presidents instructed their Foreign Ministers to continue cooperation with the co-chairs to build on the work to date with the aim of intensifying the peace process.

Putin said Russia will do everything in its power to promote the peaceful resolution of conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

He also expressed hope that the blood of neither Armenians nor Azerbaijanis will be shed over Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We would like not to see any bloodshed of either Armenian or Azerbaijani in the region which is located so close to the Russian borders and has such close ties to Russia," Putin said.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for their immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the US have produced no results so far.