MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not discuss Moscow’s assistance in connection with the situation on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their telephone conversation, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured reporters on Friday.
"No, Pashinyan did not ask for assistance. Of course, the Armenian side expressed extreme concern about the situation on the border. That concern was shared by President Putin, and President Putin emphasized the need to comply with all the provisions of the trilateral agreements [reached by Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia], first and foremost, the one on the need for a ceasefire," he said, when asked whether Putin and Pashinyan discussed the expansion of military cooperation.
On Wednesday, the Armenian Defense Ministry said that Azerbaijan’s armed forces had tried to carry out "certain work" early in the morning in one of the border districts of the Syunik Province. Later in the evening that day, Pashinyan said that the Azerbaijani armed forces had crossed Armenia’s state border, moving 3.5 kilometers deep into its territory.
After the end of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone last autumn, when seven districts adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh came under Baku’s control, the Armenian-Azerbaijani border started to run along an area in close proximity to the Syunik region. Territorial disputes between the two sides have surfaced from time to time.
On the evening of May 13, Putin and Pashinyan held a phone call initiated by Yerevan, during which they discussed the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh. The Russian side highlighted the need to observe the ceasefire, the Kremlin said. Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to continuing mediation efforts and maintaining close contacts with Yerevan and Baku in the interests of ensuring stability in the region. According to the Armenian government’s press service, Pashinyan also briefed Putin on his decision to request consultations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on the situation in the Syunik Province.