"For humanitarian reasons": Putin called for an end to hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has made an appeal to end hostilities in Karabakh.

According to him, this is necessary for the exchange of prisoners and bodies of the dead.

The Kremlin's press service said Putin spoke after a series of telephone conversations with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

"The Russian President is calling for an end to the hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone for humanitarian reasons with the aim of exchanging the bodies of the dead and prisoners," the Kremlin press service said.

It is also reported that the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were invited to Russia on October 9 for consultations on Karabakh.

Earlier, Putin called the events in Karabakh a tragedy.

On the air of the Russia 24 TV channel, the president said that the escalation of the conflict was going through hard in Russia.

“This is a tragedy.

We are very worried because Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are all territories where people are not strangers to us, ”the head of state said.

He noted that about 2 million Azerbaijanis and more than 2 million Armenians live in Russia.

“A huge number of Russian citizens maintain close, friendly and even family relations with both republics.

Of course, this is a huge tragedy, people are dying, heavy losses on both sides.

We hope that this conflict will be ended in the very near future, ”Putin said.

At the same time, the President recalled that Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Putin indicated that Russia is ready to fulfill its obligations under this agreement, while noting that the hostilities are not being conducted on the territory of Armenia.

“As for the fulfillment by Russia of its treaty obligations under this agreement, we have always fulfilled, we are fulfilling and will continue to fulfill our obligations," he stressed.

Note that Putin has already held talks with the leaderships of both states.

For the first time since the beginning of the current hostilities in Karabakh, a conversation between the Russian president and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev took place on October 7.

On the same day, Putin spoke on the phone with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

On October 8, a conversation took place between the Prime Ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan Mikhail Mishustin and Ali Asadov.

The prime ministers discussed topical issues of trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.

Along with this, Mishustin noted the importance of an early stabilization in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of negotiations.

In addition, on October 7, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a telephone conversation with the heads of the defense departments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, they discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Let us recall that the current aggravation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began on September 27.

On that day, it became known about the resumption of armed clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the region of the unrecognized republic.

Both sides accused each other of escalating.

Yerevan announced the "beginning of the offensive" of Azerbaijani troops.

Baku, in turn, reported about a "military provocation" from the Armenian side.

According to a statement from the Azerbaijani side, at least 30 people have died since the beginning of the current exacerbation.

“30 Azerbaijani civilians were killed and 144 injured.

66 civilian objects and 427 houses were destroyed, ”RIA Novosti quotes an employee of the republic’s permanent mission Lala Mehdiyeva at a meeting of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly.

In Yerevan, on the eve, the death of 240 Armenian soldiers was announced.

In addition, the Armenian Ministry of Health also reported 19 dead and 80 injured residents of Karabakh since the beginning of the escalation.

Injured Russian journalist

During the shelling of the city of Shushi in Karabakh on October 8, Russian blogger, military commander Yuri Kotenok was injured.

RIA Novosti reports about it in the press center of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

“The Russian blogger and military correspondent Yuri Kotenok was injured.

He is in serious condition, doctors are fighting for his life, "RIA Novosti quoted a message.

It is clarified that, along with the Kitten, another journalist and their attendant were injured, but their injuries were minor.

Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry published its own data on the state of journalists.

According to the Foreign Ministry, two of the journalists wounded during the shelling in Karabakh received moderate injuries, another is in serious condition, he is being operated on.