Putin and Nazarbayev discuss Karabakh

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and bilateral cooperation in a telephone conversation with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev, the press service of the Kremlin said.

The heads of state also exchanged views on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the search of ways for its peaceful settlement. Putin informed about the Russian side's ongoing mediation steps to facilitate the normalization of the situation, TASS reports.

"Both sides confirmed the willingness for further strengthening of mutually beneficial relations," the Kremlin added.

Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US, are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.