Russia, having defined its position, has commenced the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the main thing is to stop shooting and sit at the negotiating table, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said, RIA Novosti reported.
"After all that happened, I think that Russia, as an influential state, which has partnership and allied relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, should do anything possible so that the conflict wouldn't drag on and enter a permanent stage," he said. "That's why Russian President Vladimir Putin called both Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and explained our position."
He said that Russia's position is to prevent the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, no matter what happens, adding that the sides of the conflict should calm down and stop shooting, announce a truce and sit down at the negotiating table.
"In view of the fact that I had to go to Armenia on a special visit, it was considered appropriate that I visit Armenia and Azerbaijan and discuss the situation with the leaders of these countries on the spot," said Medvedev.
On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.
Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry earlier said. Ignoring the agreement, the Armenian side again started violating the ceasefire.
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 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.