Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh during a phone call, their offices said in statements on Tuesday.

The two leaders, who co-chair with the United States, the so-called Minsk group in charge of mediating between Armenia and Azerbaijan, said they agreed the two South Caucasian countries should relaunch “substantial negotiations”, the Elysee said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan said Tuesday their foreign ministers would meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on Friday to discuss efforts to end the heaviest fighting in and around the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1990s.

Macron also asked Putin to reinforce Franco-Russian cooperation in the fight against terrorism and clandestine immigration, the French statement said.