By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) – The Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders will hold a trilateral meeting in Moscow on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement on Sunday.
Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev, and Nikol Pashinyan will gather in the Russian capital to discuss the implementation of the agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh, which was signed on Nov. 10 and marked the end to 44 days of fighting between Baku and Yerevan, the press release said.
"It is planned to review the implementation of the statement of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia on Nagorno-Karabakh of November 9, 2020, and discuss further steps to address the existing problems in the region," it read.
"Special attention will be paid to providing assistance to residents of areas affected by military operations, as well as unblocking and developing trade, economic and transport links."
Putin is also expected to hold separate meetings with Aliyev and Pashinyan.
– What happened in Karabakh?
Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as an Azerbaijani territory, and seven adjacent regions.
When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and even violated humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the six-week-long conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages, while at least 2,802 of its soldiers were martyred. There are differing claims about the number of casualties on the Armenian side, which, sources and officials say, could be up to 5,000.
The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
A joint Turkish-Russian center is being established to monitor the truce. Russian peacekeeping troops have also been deployed in the region.
The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have withdrawn in line with the agreement.
Violations, however, have been reported in the past few weeks, with some Armenian soldiers said to have been hiding in the mountainous enclave.
