BOCHAROV RUCHEI, September 1. /TASS/. Russia is determined to push ahead with efforts to seek a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, President Vladimir Putin said following talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

"We exchanged views on global and regional problems. In particular, we, of course, raised the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. As a Minsk Group co-chair, Russia will continue to provide every possible assistance to the peaceful settlement of this conflict," the president said.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region declared departure from the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic. During the 1992-1993 armed conflict Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven neighboring regions.

Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been going on since 1992. Russia, the US and France are co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that acts as a mediator in resolving the crisis.