Russia Says Hopes For Movement On Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that he hopes Azerbaijan and Armenia can reach agreement on the principles of a peace deal for the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh by early December.

Medvedev was speaking after chairing talks between Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan.

On the eve of the talks, Armenia accused Azerbaijani forces of killing an ethnic Armenian soldier in Nagorno-Karabakh in a bid to disrupt peace talks.

In a statement, the Armenian Defense Ministry said a soldier with Karabakh's defense forces was killed on October 26 after Azerbaijani forces opened fire along a cease-fire line.

compiled from agency reports