Putin meets leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan as tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh simmer
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian President Vladimir Putin has met separately with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia as concerns mount over the escalation of fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh.
Kremlin spokesman Dmtiry Peskov was quoted as saying that a joint meeting of all three leaders on Sunday was possible.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan but it and some surrounding territory have been under the control of Armenian soldiers and local Armenian forces since a 1994 cease-fire ended a separatist war. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, but tensions have risen sharply in the past week as 19 soldiers were killed, 13 of them Azeri.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Years of diplomatic efforts under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have made little visible progress in resolving the dispute.