Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (left) with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu

The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey, Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusolgu, held a telephone conversation on Thursday, during which they said they supported an immediate end to the hostilities that erupted when Azerbaijani forces attacked Artsakh on Sunday. The official reports emanating from Moscow and Ankara, however, differ in their messaging.

‘’The escalation over Nagorno Karabakh was discussed in detail. The Ministers expressed serious concerns over the ongoing armed confrontation and supported the immediate suspension of the military operations,” said readout of the call publicized by the Russian foreign ministry.

“The inadmissibility of the involvement of armed groups from other regions in the conflict was emphasized. The importance of extremely balanced measures was underlined in terms of providing Baku and Yerevan political and diplomatic assistance,” added the Russian statement.

“The readiness of the sides to closely coordinate the activities for stabilizing the situation aimed at bringing Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement to a negotiation table was confirmed.
The Russian side focused on the efforts made by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, including the joint statement of the Presidents of Russia, the USA and France,’’ said the statement.

A Turkish diplomatic source told Anadolu New Agency that Cavusoglu told Lavrov that a cease-fire would have no meaning “without a permanent solution– end of Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Earlier Thursday, the presidents of Russia, France and the United States—the Minsk Group co-chairing countries—issued a joint statement urging an end to “hostilities.”

As the statement was being issued, Erdogan was in Turkey’s Parliament making a completely different point, and reiterating his earlier criticism of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Erdogan told parliament that Armenia had to withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh if there was to be lasting peace in the region. “Given that the USA, Russia and France have neglected this problem for nearly 30 years, it is unacceptable that they are involved in a search for a ceasefire,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan has offered Azerbaijan and its president, Ilham Aliyev, unequivocal support and encouragement. Aliyev has said that he does not intend to end the attacks until “Karabakh is liberated.”