Putin, Erdogan Discuss Armenian-Azeri Tensions

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned against attempts to further heighten tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone when he spoke with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan by telephone on Monday.

The two men discussed the recent deadly clashes on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan during the phone conversation which the Kremlin said took place “at the initiative of the Turkish side.”

“Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of preventing any steps that could cause an escalation in tensions,” the Kremlin reported in a statement.

“Both presidents spoke in favor of resolving the conflict through peaceful means, through talks.They expressed their readiness to coordinate efforts to stabilize the region,” it said.

Erdogan’s office also said the two leaders talked about the “Armenia-Azerbaijan tension” but gave no details.

Turkey has blamed Armenia for the hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border which broke out on July 12. It has pledged to continue to strongly support Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict, including with military assistance.

Armenia has condemned these unusually strongly-worded statements that raised the possibility of Turkish intervention in the Karabakh conflict. It has branded Turkey a “security threat to Armenia and the region.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Ankara to exercise restraint in its reaction to the Armenian-Azerbaijani skirmishes in a July 23 phone call with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.