By Stepan Kravchenko and Ilya Arkhipov, Bloomberg–

Russian President Vladimir Putin brokered the first talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the worst fighting in decades erupted over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

After Putin held a series of phone discussions with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, they accepted his invitation to send their foreign ministers to Moscow Friday, Russia said. Armenia and Azerbaijan later confirmed their ministers will attend the talks.

The sides are “heading toward a truce soon, although the situation remains fragile,” the Elysee said in a statement Friday, after French President Emmanuel Macron had also spoken to Aliyev and Pashinyan. France has coordinated efforts with Putin since the start of the week and is working toward a resumption of negotiations in the coming days, it said.

The Russian leader urged an end to hostilities “for humanitarian reasons” to allow for prisoner exchanges and the recovery of the bodies of those killed, the Kremlin said in a statement late Thursday.

The interventions follow nearly two weeks of intense fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces that has killed hundreds and left a trail of devastation as each side accuses the other of targeting civilian populations. Since the conflict reignited on Sept. 27, the warring sides have ignored repeated calls for a cease-fire by France, Russia and the U.S., which act as the so-called Minsk Group of mediators.

map: Azerbaijani-Armenian Conflict© Bloomberg Azerbaijani-Armenian Conflict

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian said in a Bloomberg TV interview that Turkey was “deeply involved” in the conflict and he’d asked the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to investigate the actions of its member state.

“I hope our colleagues in NATO will make their voice heard and put pressure on Turkey that they should not get involved,” Sarkissian said. While he’s “thankful” to Putin for organizing the talks, Armenia won’t have “any other choice” but to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence if fighting continues, he said.

Turkey has pledged support “with all its means” for Azerbaijan, though insists it’s not involved in the fighting. Aliyev has vowed to continue the military campaign until Armenian forces agree to leave Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts that are internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Armenia says it’s defending Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination after its Armenian majority declared independence amid the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Minsk Group has tried without success to resolve the conflict since a 1994 truce halted a war that killed 30,000 and displaced more than 1 million people.

Why Stakes Are Raised in the Azeri-Armenian Conflict: QuickTake

“Putin could no longer avoid intervening” in the crisis in Russia’s former Soviet backyard as Turkey asserted itself, said Vladimir Frolov, a foreign affairs expert in Moscow and former diplomat. There are prospects for restoring a cease-fire “without either side losing face,” he said.

(updates with Macron in third paragraph, Armenian president in sixth)

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