UPDATE - Joint Sochi deal reaffirms compliance to normalization, regional peace, security

UPDATES WITH DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – The presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia reaffirmed their commitment to a comprehensive normalization of Baku-Yerevan relations, and to ensuring peace, stability, security, and sustainable economic development of the South Caucasus, said a joint statement released after trilateral talks in Russia's Sochi on Monday.

The joint statement shared on the official website of the Russian Presidency said that all parties agreed on the importance of creating a positive dialogue atmosphere between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the launching of trilateral inter-parliamentary contacts.

"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," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement after the meeting.

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.

“Noting the key contribution of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to ensuring security in the area of its deployment, they emphasized the relevance of its efforts to stabilize the situation in the region,” the Kremlin statement indicated.

During the trilateral talks, the three leaders also agreed to refrain from the use or threat of force to discuss and resolve issues “solely on the basis of mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, in accordance with the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991,” the statement further says.

The statement noted that Russia will provide “all possible assistance” in preparing a “mutually acceptable solution” for a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia to “achieve sustainable and long-term peace in the region.”

“The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia welcomed the readiness of Russia to continue to contribute in every possible way to the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, ensuring stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus,” the statement concluded.

Earlier, Putin held separate talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with a focus on their individual talking points addressed during the trilateral talks.

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.