MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last night, the sides discussed the escalation of tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border border, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
"There was a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan last night to discuss the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the serious escalation that has taken place there," the Kremlin spokesman said.
"In the context of the conversation that took place now there is intensive work at the expert level. I will not say more for now, we will inform you as we receive the results of this work," he added.
Overall, according to Peskov, "it is difficult to overestimate the role of the Russian Federation, the role of Putin personally" in resolving the situation. "Naturally, the president is making every effort to help de-escalate tensions on the border, these efforts are continuing," the spokesman said.
At the same time, he did not talk about Moscow's intentions with regard to Yerevan's appeal to the CSTO for help. "I would not like to say more now, the work is underway, [including] different coordinations, I would not like to announce something before the process of coordination is completed," Peskov said.
Situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border
On Tuesday night, the Armenian Defense Ministry accused the Azerbaijani armed forces of shelling in the direction of the Armenian towns of Goris, Sotq and Jermuk. The Armenian Security Council held an emergency meeting during which it was decided to ask for help from the Russian Federation to invoke the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, as well as the CSTO and the UN Security Council in connection with the aggravation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that the Armenian armed forces carried out a large-scale sabotage on the border between the two countries, mined sections between the positions of Azerbaijani army units and supply roads. The Azerbaijani military’s actions resulted in "urgent measures to immediately prevent these acts," the ministry said. The Azerbaijani news agency Trend then reported, citing its sources, that Azerbaijan and Armenia had agreed to a cease-fire in the border areas.