MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Issues of trade and economic cooperation, including joint projects in the energy and transport sectors, were the focus of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s telephone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday.

"The sides discussed in detail prospects for the further development of trade and economic cooperation, including the implementation of joint projects in the spheres of energy and transport," it said.

The two presidents also "discussed the current situation in the South Caucasus," the ministry said. "They stressed the importance of successive steps toward stability and security on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. In this context, they reiterated their commitment to the unconditional implementation of the package of corresponding top-level agreements between Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia."

Russia has acted as a mediator in the settlement of the situation between Baku and Yerevan more than once. Thus, it hosted talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. A declaration on the complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh was signed in November 2020 with Moscow’s mediation. And after a trilateral meeting in Moscow in January 2021, the three leaders signed a joint statement on new infrastructure projects in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The last telephone call between the two presidents took place in December 2022. The issue of the implementation of the trilateral agreements between Moscow, Baku, and Yerevan was also on the agenda.