LONDON

Britain welcomed the “agreement by Azerbaijan & Armenia to end the #NagornoKarabakh conflict,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab wrote on Twitter Tuesday.

“They have made difficult decisions to prevent further loss of life,” Raab said.

“We encourage all sides to continue working together for a lasting peace settlement in the interests of their citizens.”

The UK welcomes agreement by Azerbaijan & Armenia to end the #NagornoKarabakh conflict.

They have made difficult decisions to prevent further loss of life. We encourage all sides to continue working together for a lasting peace settlement in the interests of their citizens

— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) November 10, 2020

Putin announced early Tuesday that the two former Soviet republics have signed a deal to end the conflict in Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has hailed the agreement as a victory for his country, saying Baku's military success has enabled it to gain an upper hand to end the three-decade-long occupation of its territory.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have remained tense since 1991, but fresh clashes broke out on Sept. 27.

Armenia repeatedly attacked Azerbaijani civilians and forces for over 40 days, even violating three humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

Besides other towns and villages, Baku’s liberation of the strategic city Shusha on Sunday had signaled that victory is imminent.