Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu has described the cooperation between Russia and Turkey in Nagorno-Karabakh as "a very difficult operation", and said that it is time that Armenia and Azerbaijan begin to "talk to each other."

Shoygu said the issue involves a great number of "arguments, elements, motives", describing Armenia and Azerbaijan as "two fraternal nations, our two close neighbors, with whom we lived and will continue to live in peace, harmony and friendship."

Russian President Vladimir Putin made "titanic efforts to make all this happen. And all the sides had to be persuaded. He had to convince everyone," the Defense Minister said in an interview with Tengrinews.

"First, people have stopped killing each other. Second, I hope that now is the time for them to switch to bilateral contacts and talk to each other, start talking. I mean Armenia and Azerbaijan," he added.

Shoygu also cited Iran as a "new player" and an "old neighbor" in the region, which he said could join the dialogue with proposals in infrastructure development, including railway, hydropower, transport communications.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side has returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.