During today’s virtual opening of the "Second Armenian Summit of Ideas", Armenian President Armen Sarkissian thanked the Presidents of the Minsk Group co-chair countries (the United States, France, Russia), for mediating today’s Karabakh humanitarian ceasefire  and especially thanked Russian President Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov for pushing for a halt to the hostilities.

"I hope the ceasefire will be the beginning of a return to the peace process," said President Sarkissian, noting that the fighting has claimed hundreds of lives and devastated parts of Artsakh where villages and towns have been hit.