Obama, Putin hold phone conversation on Nagorno Karabakh, Ukraine, Syria

YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama in a telephone conversation on Wednesdayconfirmed readiness to step up coordination of Russian, US military actions in Syria, TASS reported.

The conversation took place at the Russian side’s request, the Kremlin press service said.

Putin urgedObama to contribute to separation of moderate Syrian opposition from extremists.

"As the situation in Syria was discussed, Putin called his interlocutor’s attention to the need to dissociate moderate Syrian opposition from the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group and other extremists to whom the ceasefire regime does not spread as early as possible. Both sides confirmed readiness to build up military coordination of Russian and American actions in Syria and stressed the importance to resume the U.N.-brokered inter-Syrian dialogue with an aim to reach the conflict’s political settlement," the Kremlin said.

According to the Kremlin,Putin toldObamathat Kiev should strictly implement the Minsk Agreements.

"When discussing Ukrainian issues, the president of Russia again pointed to the importance of strict implementation by Kiev of the Minsk Agreements of February 12, 2015, including organization of real direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk, the holding of amnesty, the granting of a special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and joint development of the law on local elections," the statement said.

The Kremlin went on to say thatPutininformedObama on the June 20 meeting in St Petersburg on peace settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The trilateral meeting brought together Putin, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev.

"Putin said that Russia had proceeded from the importance of assistance to an earliest possible stabilization in the zone of conflict and facilitation of the peace process while organizing the St Petersburg talks," it said.

The Kremlin addedObama praises Russia's effort on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

The White House said Obama expressed his readiness to intensify efforts together with Russia and with France, as co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Minsk Group, to achieve a comprehensive settlement to the conflict.