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At the initiative of the Armenian side, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Armenia’s caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan late on May 13.

During an exchange of views on the recent incident on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Putin emphasized the need to strictly comply with all the provisions of the statements of the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders dated November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021, primarily in terms of strict observance of the ceasefire, the Kremlin press service said in a statement on Friday.

“Russia reaffirmed its commitment to active mediation efforts and close contacts with Yerevan and Baku, aimed at ensuring stability in the region," the statement said.

Expressing gratitude to the Russian president, Pashinyan spoke in favor of constructive dialogue and interaction that would make it possible to resolve all issues exclusively through political and diplomatic means.

The issues of restoring economic, transport and logistics ties in the South Caucasus were also discussed during the phone call.

The sides agreed to hold further contacts at various levels.

On Wednesday morning the Azerbaijani military crossed the state border of Armenia close to Sev Lich (Black Lake) in Syunik Province and advanced as far as 3.5 kilometers in an effort to surround the lake.

At an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Thursday, Pashinyan said some 250 Azerbaijani troops were still located within Armenia’s state borders, particularly in some parts of Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces.