Putin said that a halt to hostilities will save the lives of people “who stand opposite each other and, unfortunately, still see each other through rifle sights.”
“They are using weapons against each other to achieve goals that, in our deep conviction, could be achieved through a negotiation process,” the Russian leader said.
Putin again stressed that Russia stays in contact with both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“I hope that we will be able to achieve a result on the basis that would suit all people living in the region, and achieve it by peaceful means,” Putin added.
As the Kremlin reported earlier this week, Putin had separate telephone conversations with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on November 1 and 2, respectively. It said the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed during the phone calls. But Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko cautioned on Tuesday that it was yet too early to speak about a possible meeting between the two South Caucasus leaders.
Putin’s remarks today came amid reports of fresh fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh where ethnic Armenian forces and Azerbaijan have been making claims and counterclaims about successful defensive and offensive operations that are difficult to confirm independently.
Either side also accuses the other of targeting civilians in the armed conflict that broke out on September 27.
Both sides have reported scores of deaths among civilians. Armenians have also confirmed 1,177 deaths among their military. Azerbaijan does not disclose its military casualties, considering them a wartime secret. Russia has estimated as many as 5,000 deaths on both sides.