UPDATES WITH PUTIN'S REMARKS ON PALESTINE, MINOR EDITS IN DECK, BODY
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said Karabakh "irrevocably" became part of Azerbaijan in 2022 when Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the relevant declaration at a meeting in Prague.
"It (Karabakh) became a part of Azerbaijan definitively last year, in November, at a meeting in Prague. Prime Minister (Nikol) Pashinyan made a statement that radically changed the status of Karabakh, it determined the status of Karabakh," Putin told a news conference in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek.
Russia is ready to facilitate the resumption of negotiations on signing a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan know this, he said.
"It seems to me that this is quite possible (signing a peace treaty), I don't see any problem that could prevent the conclusion of a peace treaty now, after the events in Karabakh," he said.
Commenting on claims that Ukraine delivered weapons to Palestinian group Hamas, which undertook a surprise attack on Israel last week, Putin said: "I doubt that there were arms shipments from Ukraine, but I have no doubt that there is a leak of weapons from Ukraine. There is no doubt that weapons supplied to Ukraine go to black market."
"The level of corruption in Ukraine is known, it is very high. The black market develops in such a way that there are many who want to buy, and in Ukraine, there are many who want to sell," he said.
- Mediation in Gaza
Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli bombardment and blockade, Putin emphasized the necessity to prioritize the well-being of the civilian population.
"Now we see that even in the US there are assessments of what is happening, various scenarios are emerging, including a possibility of using against the Gaza Strip military and non-military measures similar to those that were imposed during the siege of Leningrad during World War II ... In my opinion, this is unacceptable," he said.
The Russian leader pointed out that over 2 million people, including women and children live in the area, and not all of them support Hamas group.
On the other hand, Israel "has the right to ensure its security and get security guarantees," he said.
"We need to find these tools, find this way out of the situation, and in my opinion, it can be achieved as a result of mediation efforts," he said.