Russian president holds meeting with Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan: Armenia`s premier disagrees  with Azerbaijan`s leader

ArmInfo.A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani  President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan  was held in Sochi, Russia, November 26.    

The consultations are timed to coincide with the anniversary of the  signing of the Statement on a complete ceasefire and termination of  all hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone of November 9,  2020, the Kremlin press service reports. 

The discussion focused on the progress in implementing the earlier  agreements, further steps towards strengthening stability and  restoring peaceful life in the region, and various aspects of  restoring and developing trade, economic and transport links.

Following the meeting, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol  Pashinyan approved a Statement by the President of the Republic of  Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the  President of the Russian Federation.

The leaders of the three countries also made statements on the  outcome of the trilateral talks.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin thanked President Aliyev and  Premier Pashinyan for responding to his invitation and arriving in  Russia to review the work that has been carried out during the year  since the adoption of the peace statement last year. 

"We reaffirmed our agreements on the ceasefire and restoring normal  life later in January. A lot has been accomplished during this time.  Unfortunately, not every issue have been settled yet. I am aware of  the tragic incidents at the border when people on both sides get  killed or wounded. These things require special attention on our  part, and in fact, we are meeting today in order to avoid incidents  like this in the future," the Russian leader said.      

Overall, much has been accomplished during the year. 

"First, no large-scale hostilities are taking place, which is very  good in and of itself. During this time - and with our assistance -  much has been done to have the refugees go back to their homes, with  53,000 people returning to their permanent place of residence. A good  monitoring group has been created, and our contingent is working  there. As far as I understand and according to assessments from both  sides, it is doing a good job, providing safe living conditions for  the locals. The Russian-Turkish ceasefire monitoring centre is  operational. Most importantly, conditions are being created for a  normal peaceful life," Putin said. 

Speaking of the trilateral commission formed at the level of deputy  prime ministers of the governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia,  Putin said: 

"My colleagues have reported to me on its progress. It is not easy,  but, nevertheless, this work is at an advanced stage, and there is  reason to believe that we will soon be able to not only confirm the  work of the corresponding group on unblocking transport links, but  also make the appropriate decisions that everyone needs. I think this  is, in fact, the goal of our efforts, namely, to create proper  conditions for the revival of the region so people can feel safe and  engage in economic activity and develop the economy. All this, of  course, should have the most favourable effect on the living  standards of the citizens of both countries."

"This is of great importance for Russia since we have special  relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan. We were part of a single state  for many centuries, we have deep historical ties, and I would not  want to sever them, but on the contrary, we must strive to restore  and maintain them in the future," he added. 

In his turn, Armenia`s Premier Nikol Pashinyan thanked the Russian  leader for his the invitation and for organising this meeting.

"Your personal role and the role of the Russian Federation in  stopping the war last year is obvious to everyone. After November 9,  Russian peacekeepers were deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh, along the  Lachin corridor. Russian peacekeepers and the Russian Federation are  playing a key role in stabilising the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh  and the region in general.

"However, I would like to emphasise that unfortunately the situation  is not as stable as we would like it to be. Several dozen people have  died on both sides since November 9, and other incidents occur in  Nagorno- Karabakh as well. Since May 12 we have actually had a crisis  at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We believe Azerbaijani  troops have invaded Armenia's sovereign territory. Of course, some  borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan have not been delimited or  demarcated, but a state border exists and this defines the sovereign  territory of the Republic of Armenia.

"I cannot agree with the opinion of the President of Azerbaijan that  all items except the unblocking of connections have been fulfilled.  You know, and I have discussed this with you several times both in  person and by telephone, that there is also the problem of hostages,  other detainees and POWs, and this is a very important humanitarian  issue. But I would like to say I believe that today we have met not  only to voice these problems but also to discuss ways of resolving  them.

"I have also said more than once that Armenia is willing to start the  process of delimitation and demarcation of the border. It is vital to  us too to open, to unblock all transport and economic connections.   We are sincerely interested in resolving these problems, and I hope  we will review all of them today.

"I saw that during your bilateral meeting with the President of  Azerbaijan you talked about the Nagorno- Karabakh settlement problem.  The President of Azerbaijan just mentioned the issue of peace talks  between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Of course, we are also interested in  this, and we believe the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement must be  co-chaired by the OSCE Minsk Group.

"I think we must and can discuss many issues in the bilateral format.  I must say that officials from Azerbaijan and Armenia are already  planning direct contacts. I think it is necessary to emphasise that  these positions deserve special mention against the backdrop of the  not-so-positive nuances.

"The most important point about the current meeting is not simply to  speak about whether certain problems exist. The main thing is that  today we have managed to arrive at practical decisions (or as  practical as we could make them) on stabilising the situation in the  South Caucasus because we are responsible for peace, stability and  security of people," Nikol Pashinyan said.