Russian President Vladimir Putin said the goal of the trilateral talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was to create conditions for the revival of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"It seems to me that this, in fact, is the goal of all our efforts, namely to create conditions for the revival of the region, for people to be able to feel safe there and to be able to normally engage in economic activities, develop the economy," the Russian leader said, opening the meeting.
Putin is convinced that Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan should seek to strengthen ties between the countries for the sake of common interests.
"We were together for centuries as part of a single state, we have very deep historical ties, and we would not like them to be destroyed. On the contrary, we should strive to restore them and maintain them in the future," Putin said.
Results of the year
According to the President, no large-scale military operations are taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh, which testifies to the fact that much has been done this year to settle the situation in the region.
He invited his colleagues to summarize the work that has been done during the year - on November 9, 2020, a statement was signed by the leaders of the three countries, which made it possible to achieve a complete cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"During this time, indeed, a lot has been done. Unfortunately, not all issues have been resolved yet, I know about incidents on the border and tragic incidents when people from both sides are killed and injured," the Russian President stated.
According to Putin's assessment, all this requires special attention from leaders. "As a matter of fact, that's why we've gathered together today - to avoid similar incidents in the future. On the whole, however, we've done a lot over the past year," he said.
For example, "there have been no large-scale military operations in the conflict zone, which is already very good by itself," said the head of the Russian state. "During this period of time and with the help of our side a lot of work was done in the area of refugee return - 53 thousand [people] have already returned to the places of their permanent residence. To my understanding, according to assessments by both sides, our contingent is working decently, it provides safe living conditions for people," Putin said.
A Russian-Turkish ceasefire monitoring center is working and functioning, he continued. "But the most important thing is that conditions for a future normal, peaceful life are being created. That's what's important," the President stressed.
Transport communication
The Russian President also hopes that decisions will soon be made to unblock transport communications in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"There is reason to believe that in the near future we will not only be able to confirm the work of the relevant group to unblock transport communications, but also to make the decisions necessary for everyone," Putin said.
According to his assessment, the most important thing is that conditions are being created for future peaceful life in the region, in particular, a commission has been created at the level of the deputy prime ministers of the three countries to unblock transport corridors. "My colleagues reported to me about how the work is going on, it is not easy. But nevertheless this work is in an advanced state," Putin noted.
The Russian leader stressed that the goal of common efforts is to "create conditions for the revival of the region, for people to feel safe and normally engage in economic activities, to be able to develop the economy." "All this, of course, should have the most favorable effect on the standard of living of citizens of both countries. This is very important for Russia because of the special nature of relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan," Putin said.
He said Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan should strive to strengthen ties between the countries for the sake of common interests. "We have had a common state for centuries. We have very deep historical ties and we wouldn't like to see them dissolved. On the contrary. We should strive to restore them and support them in the future," the Russian head of state said.
He also said that he first discussed some issues with Aliev at the bilateral meeting in Sochi. He added that the same preparatory work was conducted with the Armenian side in advance through telephone conversations. "And now, as we were moving, we just exchanged thoughts on the matter," Putin said, adding that he would hold a bilateral meeting with Pashinyan after the completion of the trilateral talks.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS