MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday spoke over the phone with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and discussed the situation in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin emphasized the importance of the “consistent implementation of the fundamental agreements reached by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020-2022.”

Putin reminded that the agreements included aspects related to ensuring security and stability on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, restoring economic and transport ties in South Caucasus, and preparing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

A truce has been in force between the neighbors since a 2020 war that forced Armenia to cede territories it had occupied for decades.