Russia Plays Positive Role in Karabakh Settlement – Azerbaijani President

Russia is Azerbaijan’s strategic partner, which plays a constructive role in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Tuesday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) – The president pointed out that Russia's role as a chair of the Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is "very positive."

"We have a very constructive, very friendly relations with Russia <…> We see Russia as a strategic partner, and Russia's actions fully correspond to this," Aliyev told reporters.

Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at a joint press conference with Aliyev in Berlin, said that Russia would play a key role in solving the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, with constant violations of the ceasefire, is unacceptable, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said Tuesday.

"Violations constantly occur at the line of contact, the ceasefire regime is unstable, it is fragile. The current status quo is unacceptable. Since April, Armenia has been continuing its armed provocations against us," Aliyev said at a joint press conference with Merkel.

The violence in Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani breakaway region with a predominantly Armenian population, escalated in April. Baku and Yerevan have accused each other of provoking hostilities that led to multiple deaths on both sides.

The parties agreed on a ceasefire on April 5.