Putin to host talks between rivals Armenia, Azerbaijan

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host talks in Sochi on Monday between the leaders of arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Kremlin said, reasserting Moscow's role following Western-led efforts to bring peace.

"On the initiative of the Russian side, tripartite negotiations between... Putin, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be held on October 31 in Sochi," the Kremlin said in a statement Friday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in three decades.

Deadly clashes in September along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border have raised fears of a fresh all-out conflict.