Russian, Azerbaijani presidents discuss Karabakh settlement over phone

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday discussed the situation in Karabakh with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev over the phone, according to a Kremlin statement.

The two leaders also spoke about the development of transport, logistics, and economic ties in the Caucasus, the statement said.

A Russia-brokered truce between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been in force since a 2020 war that forced Yerevan to cede territories it had occupied for nearly three decades. Since then, a process to normalize ties between the two neighbors is ongoing.

At least five people were killed in the latest exchange of fire in Karabakh earlier this month.

Since late last year, Azerbaijani environmental activists have protested along the Lachin corridor, the only road linking Karabakh to Armenia, against illegal mining.