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Armenian president asks Putin to assist border demarcation with Azerbaijan

In his letter, Sarkissian thanked the Russian president for the efforts "that put an end to bloodshed in Nagorno-Karabakh and led to a ceasefire, which helped avoid new victims and tragic events"

YEREVAN, December 8. /TASS/. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, in which he asks the Russian leader to assist the border demarcation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to avoid tensions between Yerevan and Baku, the Armenian president’s press service informed.

"The Armenian president has noted that unfortunately, there is still a potential danger of new disputes arising between the sides due to the demarcation issue. Considering the exceptional importance and relevance of the issue, President Sarkissian has addressed the Russian president with a request to provide assistance to conclude the demarcation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to avoid further tensions and negative developments," the message says.

In his letter, Sarkissian thanked the Russian president for the efforts "that put an end to bloodshed in Nagorno-Karabakh and led to a ceasefire, which helped avoid new victims and tragic events."

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would maintain the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region. Besides, Baku and Yerevan must exchange prisoners and the bodies of those killed.