Canadian and Russian Foreign Ministers Marc Garneau and Sergei Lavrov discussed the developments in Nagorno-Karabakh at the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting on Thursday, May 20.

According to information provided by the Canadian side, Garneau reiterated that Canada continues to call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tensions and expresses its hope that the parties can engage in meaningful action.

The Canadian foreign policy chief stressed the importance of accelerating the release of detainees and the remains of the deceased, investigating and prosecuting all war crimes and cooperating on demining.

Garneau also said Canada continues to support the primary role of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in reaching a permanent settlement of the conflict.

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.