The meeting of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin took place in Sochi.
In his speech, the President of the Russian Federation stated: "Dear Nikol Vovayevich, as we agreed in Kazakhstan, our meeting is taking place today in Sochi. Sochi was also chosen as the meeting place by you and President Aliyev. This is not the first time we meet here in such format. Sorry for the rainy weather, but there's nothing you can do about it. That’s not the important thing, the important thing is that there is an opportunity to meet and talk.
In fact, we started that discussion when we met in Astana to deal with such a serious and protracted issue. That is why we are implementing your initiative.
Most recently, on your initiative, a meeting of the Heads of State of the CSTO member states was held via video conference. We see the approaches of our partners, the developments on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Karabakh. That conflict has been dragging on for decades, that's why it should be finished at some point, I agree with that. I know that you have the political will for it, and we support it in every way. We should, of course, find the key elements with you now and then in a trilateral format that will allow us to move forward.
I would like to recall how we reached the agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict. Back then, we all assumed that the most important thing is to establish peace and provide conditions for development, including for the development of Armenia's economy, the unblocking of transport infrastructure, the creation of new routes, all issues related to the development of the economy and the social sphere: after all, that's what we work for. All these are planned based on the interest of people. That's why we need to talk about all these issues today, and I hope we will move forward.
We always have in mind the fact that Armenia is our strategic partner, ally, as I said at the meeting with the leaders of the CSTO, from ancient times until today. That's why this is a unique situation for us. I hope that today we will be able to take steps towards settlement. I'm glad to see you."
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan – “Thank you dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
First of all, let me thank you for the invitation and for organizing today's trilateral meeting. Of course, the agenda of our relations is extensive, but with your permission, in the opening speech I will focus on regional security issues.
Last week at the Valdai Discussion Club, you raised the issue of a possible peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, highlighting some important elements of this process related to Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming that you will support the choice of principles that the Armenian side will express in favor of.
I spoke about this during the last closed session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, in which you also participated. I would like to emphasize once again that in terms of Nagorno Karabakh issue, the approaches proposed by the Russian side in the draft project "The main principles and elements of establishment of interstate relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia" are acceptable for us.
I hope that you will support the proposal to make reference to this document in the text of a possible statement based on the results of today's trilateral meeting. Armenia has made the proposal, but so far we have no confirmation that the Russian side supports this proposal. I would like to emphasize that this in no way contradicts the agreements reached in Prague on October 6 of this year. By the way, during the Prague negotiations, I was guided by your public statements, including those regarding Nagorno Karabakh.
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
The issue of the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, where they invaded in March of this year, is very important for us. Contrary to agreements at the highest level, Azerbaijani troops have not yet left the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. I hope that this issue will be resolved as a result of today's discussions.
As for the process of delimitation of the state border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, we have repeatedly emphasized that it must be preceded by the creation of mechanisms to increase the level of stability and security on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. Russia's position was that the formation and work of the border delimitation commission would itself become a border security mechanism.
To be honest, at that time we did not share this position, but in the end we decided to rely on the interpretation of our strategic ally, that is, Russia. Despite this, on September 13 of this year, Azerbaijan initiated a new aggression against Armenia and occupied new territories of our country. The clear position of the Russian Federation on this issue is very important for us, according to which it is necessary to withdraw the Azerbaijani troops to the initial positions as of May 11, 2021.
As for unblocking regional communications, you know that Armenia is very interested in it. And we are ready to take concrete decisions at any time, based on point 9 of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 and the trilateral statement of January 11, 2021. In this context, we also rely on paragraph 3 of your decree of November 9, 2020 "On measures aimed at maintaining peace in Nagorno-Karabakh" and your TV speech of November 9, 2020, which reflect our agreements.
And the essence of the issue is as follows. Communications passing through the territory of the Republic of Armenia must be under the full control of the Republic of Armenia and operated in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Armenia. The Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia should supervise the implementation of the above agreements.
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
I would like to emphasize the importance of the release and repatriation of all Armenian citizens held in Azerbaijan. Despite the fact that we have discussed this issue dozens of times, and contrary to the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, the issue has not been resolved so far.
Thank you: I would like to thank you once again for your efforts for peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus."
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