OREANDA-NEWS Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold separate meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This was stated by Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, RIA Novosti reports.

Ushakov said that Putin will meet with Aliyev and Pashinyan before the meeting of the Council of Heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). It is noted that the Russian leader will meet with his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts separately.

"The president will hold two bilateral meetings," the presidential aide stressed.

Earlier, Pashinyan told Putin about the need to strengthen relations between Russia and Armenia. He also expressed hope for the intensification of beneficial cooperation between the states.