The Karabakh settlement should be discussed with Turkey as well, this is the reality of the region, said Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.
At the end of September, hostilities resumed in Nagorno-Karabakh, which could be stopped only two months after a trilateral agreement was reached on the night of November 10. With Russian mediation, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to a complete cease-fire and an exchange of prisoners and bodies of the dead. The Kelbajar, Lachin and Agdam districts were also handed over to Baku. Moreover, Russian peacekeepers were deployed in the region. This decision was met with a rather harsh reaction in Armenia. At the same time, Yerevan still criticizes Turkey's support for Azerbaijan during the escalation of the conflict.
"Turkey is our neighbor and a very important partner. And it is a very close country to Azerbaijan. This factor cannot be ignored," he told Russian reporters when asked about Turkey's role in the Karabakh settlement.
According to him, Moscow and Ankara have established a productive dialogue, the presidents of the two countries are constantly communicating on the subject and a decision has been made to create a special center for monitoring the general state of affairs with the participation of Turkish and Russian officials.
The joint Russian-Turkish ceasefire monitoring center in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone was opened on January 30 near the settlement of Kiyamaddinli in accordance with a memorandum signed by the heads of defense agencies of Russia and Turkey on November 11, 2020.
"And this is also an element of general stabilization. But I would not assess this as an element of some long-term policy or to build one of the conspiracy theories here. We just have to take into account the realities that exist in our region. And the reality is that this issue should be discussed today with our partners from Turkey as well," Medvedev said.
The issue of Karabakh's status has not been resolved, but it cannot be discussed now, it is better to postpone it for the future, Dmitry Medvedev said.
Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence from Azerbaijan in 1991. Only Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria recognized it. Baku considers Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of its territory and is ready to speak only about the Armenian cultural autonomy within Azerbaijan. Armenia, in turn, insists on the right of the region to self-determination. The authorities of the unrecognized republic declare that the status within Azerbaijan is unacceptable for them.
In an interview with Russian media, Medvedev noted that he had spent a great deal of time discussing the issue with his colleagues in the dialogue.
"In my opinion, it is absolutely obvious to everyone today that the issue of the status is really unresolved, but it cannot be discussed now, because any electrification of this field of discussion around the status leads to a very powerful discharge. It is impossible to do this now. Especially since the positions of the parties here are very different, even within Armenia there are discussions," he said.
"And I will remind you that Armenia did not recognize Karabakh's independence. It is somehow forgotten, but in fact, it is exactly that. Therefore, it is better to postpone the issue of the status to a future period," said the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council.
The new escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which started in 1988, happened in late September 2020 and was the largest in years. During the two months of fighting, the parties made several attempts to conclude a ceasefire, but the trilateral agreement reached on the night of November 10 proved successful. With Moscow mediating, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to a complete cease-fire and to an exchange of prisoners and dead bodies. Yerevan also handed over the Kelbajar, Lachin and Agdam districts to Baku. Russian peacekeepers are stationed in the region. The situation in the region is now relatively stable.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from RIA Novosti