国际英语新闻:Erdogan, Putin hold phone call over Nagorno-Karabakh issue

ANKARA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in a phone call.

The formation of a Turkey-Russia cease-fire monitoring center and the military actions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were evaluated during the conversation, said a statement from the Turkish Presidency's communications directorate.

Erdogan told Putin that Turkey wanted to create circumstances that would enable Azerbaijanis and Armenians to live together in Nagorno-Karabakh without the need for peacekeeping or observation, according to the statement.

Ankara would provide the necessary support and contributions on behalf of peace in the new era, the Turkish President said.

Erdogan and Putin also discussed steps for strengthening relations between Turkey and Russia, according to the statement.

In November, the Turkish parliament approved a motion for the deployment of troops in Nagorno-Karabakh for one year as part of an accord between Ankara and Moscow to monitor the implementation of the truce in the region.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced earlier that the Joint Turkish-Russian Center will be in Aghdam, a district in Nagorno-Karabakh that was handed over to the Azerbaijani military on Nov. 20, 2020 as a condition of the truce.

Turkey sent soldiers to Azerbaijan last month to join Russian forces at an observation post under construction.

On Nov. 10, 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan ended a 44-day Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after a cease-fire was reached under the mediation of Russia.