Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Putin’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa, told the TASS news agency today that Russia is raising the issue of mercenaries from Syria and Libya in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during contacts with the Turkish government.

"We are discussing all the issues," Bogdanov told TASS.

Answering a question whether the Russian side, during contacts, is raising the unacceptability of the participation of mercenaries in the conflict zone, Bogdanov answered, "Of course.”

On September 30, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for the immediate withdrawal of terrorists and foreign combatants from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.