Putin, Macron discuss situation in Nagorno-Karabakh over phone

Moscow, Nov 17 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday discussed over phone the ongoing efforts to secure the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire.Putin told Macron that the ceasefire, agreed upon by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, is being honored and the situation in the region has generally stabilised, the Xinhua news agency reported.As co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, both parties agreed to coordinate their efforts on Nagorno-Karabakh.The two leaders also touched upon humanitarian matters such as the return of refugees to places of permanent residence and the necessity to restore infrastructure and preserve Christian churches and monasteries.Putin briefed Macron on the future establishment of a Russian humanitarian response center in Nagorno-Karabakh aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of refugees and civilians in the region.Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Putin issued a joint statement on November 10, agreeing on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.
--IANS rs/