MOSCOW, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that it is essential to map out the next steps toward the settlement in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"Today, it would be important, first of all, to identify the next steps in the key areas of the settlement," Putin said during talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow.
"I am referring to issues connected with the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, the clarification of demarcation lines, the solution to humanitarian problems, and the protection of cultural heritage sites," he added.
Putin said the trilateral agreement reached by Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on Nov. 9 is being consistently implemented, which has formed a basis for a just and equitable settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Putin stressed the need to focus attention on unblocking economic, trade and transport links to the region, adding that the issues will be addressed by a special working group chaired by the vice prime ministers of all the parties involved.
He noted that over 48,000 displaced people have safely returned to Nagorno-Karabakh since Nov. 14, 2020 and the two countries have also exchanged prisoners and bodies of the dead under Russian mediation. Enditem