Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be discussed at a trilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Putin stressed the importance of the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in the region since the end of hostilities in late 2020. The Russian leader also problems and incidents still happen in the conflict zone but added that the summit is set to address all those questions.

Aliyev said, meanwhile, that over the past year there have been no serious incidents in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh.

One Armenian civilian was killed, three others were injured when an Azerbaijani soldier opened fire on locals working on water pipes on a junction near the town of Shushi, Nagorno-Karabakh, on November 8. On October 9, another civilian from Karabakh, Aram Tepnunts (b.1966), was killed by an Azerbaijani sniper while working in his orchard near the town of Martakert.

On November 16, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked offensive in the southern Armenian province of Syunik, seizing control over two positions. The Armenian side has confirmed the death of six servicemen, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan saying that up to 32 others may have been taken captive.