Leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia agree on joint statement about Karabakh

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – The presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia agreed on a joint statement concerning the Karabakh region, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced following a trilateral meeting in Sochi on Monday.

"In our common opinion, this was a very useful meeting. In my opinion, it created a very good atmosphere for future possible agreements on some fundamental issues," Putin said in a statement after the meeting concluded.

Putin underlined that parties could not agree on everything concerning Karabakh, adding that some parts had to be removed from the text “previously worked out at the level of specialists.”

He later said Moscow will do everything for a final settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“The Russian Federation remains in contact with Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue the dialogue and put an end to the conflict in this region,” Putin noted.

Earlier, Putin held separate talks with Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders with a focus on individual talking points addressed by Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan during the trilateral meeting.

This September, deadly clashes on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border near Karabakh claimed nearly 300 lives.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

In fall 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Baku liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation, ending in a Moscow-brokered truce. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.