Armenian and Russian Defense Ministers Vagharshak Harutyunyan and Sergey Shoigu have discussed the matter of returning Armenian prisoners of war and captives from Azerbaijan in phone talks on Thursday, January 21.

The two military officials also discussed bilateral cooperation, the activity of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), as well as the search and rescue operations in the zone of hostilities.

Harutyunyan thanked his colleague for Russia's support in ensuring the security of the southern borders of the country.

The defense ministers of the two countries also exchanged views on the latest military-political developments in the region.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side has returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.