(VOVWORLD) - Russia would be prepared to render "all necessary assistance" to Armenia if the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict expanded to Armenian territory, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
 Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. (Photo: TASS) |
The statement was made after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had formally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for "urgent consultations" on security assistance on Saturday. Russia reaffirmed the commitment of the Russian Federation to its allied obligations towards the Republic of Armenia, including those arising from the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia of Aug. 29, 1997, said the statement. A number of articles of this treaty presuppose specific actions in the event of a threat of an armed attack or an act of aggression against each other's territory, it said, adding that Moscow will provide Yerevan with "all the necessary assistance if the clashes take place directly on the territory of Armenia."
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to observe "an immediate ceasefire, the de-escalation of tensions and a return to substantive negotiations," in order to achieve a peaceful settlement in line with the basic agreements reached by the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow on Oct. 10.