Putin: Russia could be guarantor of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict solution
By Rashid Shirinov
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that his country could act as a guarantor in the solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
"Russia and some other countries of OSCE Minsk group could act as guarantors in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict," said President of Russia Vladimir Putin following the meeting with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan in Moscow on August 10.
Putin said that Russia is interested in reducing tensions between Baku and Yerevan. He added that Russia will continue supporting the search for solutions, hoping for a compromise.
“I would emphasize that Russia is interested in reduction of tensions between our neighbors. We will continue rendering assistance on finding a solution to the Karabakh problem within the OSCE Minsk group and through direct contacts with Yerevan and Baku,” he said. “I hope that Armenia and Azerbaijan will be able to reach a compromise settlement of the existing conflict.”
Putin mentioned that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed with Azerbaijani side during his recent visit to Baku, as well.
Answering the question of an Armenian journalist on the supply of Russian arms to Armenia and Azerbaijan, Putin stressed that in the common market of arms any country can buy any weapons. “And a country like Azerbaijan – an oil producing nation with fast developing economy and quite large volume of gold value reserves - is definitely able to buy it anywhere,” Putin noted.
Earlier this week, Russian President visited Baku, meeting with his Azerbaijani and Iranian counterparts Ilham Aliyev and Hassan Rouhani in trilateral and bilateral formats.
“We will do everything possible so that Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a compromise acceptable for both sides, so that the two countries’ peoples win from this,” he said at the meeting with the Azerbaijani leader.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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