Azeri-Armenian update 11/18/2020..Vladimir Putin says Nargorno-Karabakh’s Final Status Has Not Been Settled; It Will Be Agreed in Future!

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Nargorno-Karabakh’s Final Status Has Not Been Settled; It Will Be Agreed in Future!

Russia & Azerbaijan issue statements about future status of Nagorno Karabakh

Nobody encroached on Armenian territory – Putin on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement

Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the decisions taken for settlement of the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during the interview aired on Rossiya 1 TV channel, Tuesday.

The Russian leader highlighted that Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan according to international law.

“Nobody encroached on the territory of the Armenian Republic, and this did not give us any right to take a direct part in these hostilities,” he stressed.

Putin also commented on Turkey’s role in the conflict. “You can define Turkey’s actions just as you wish, but you can hardly accuse Turkey of violating international law,” he said, highlighting that Turkey is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Speaking of the future of the disputed region, the Russian president said there are chances to define its status. “If conditions are created for a normal life, for the restoration of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, between people at the everyday level, especially in the conflict zone, this will create conditions for determining the status of Karabakh,” he added.

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): “The most important thing that has been done is that we have stopped the bloodshed. As I have already said more than four thousand people died, according to official figures only. In fact, I think more [people died]. [There are] tens of thousands of wounded and maimed. Listen, this is not a movie, this is a tragedy that happens in life with certain people, with certain families.”

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): “The final status of Karabakh has not been defined yet, we have agreed that we will keep the status quo, the current situation. What happens next is to be decided in the future or by future leaders, future participants of this process, but in my opinion, if conditions are created for a normal life, for the restoration of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, between people at the everyday level, especially in the conflict zone, this will create conditions for determining the status of Karabakh.” Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): “Between 19 and 20 of October, I had a series of telephone conversations with both President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. And then the armed forces of Azerbaijan regained control over an insignificant part, the southern part of Nagorno-Karabakh. In general, I managed to convince President Aliyev that it is possible to stop the hostilities, but the return of the refugees, including to the town of Shusha, was an obligatory condition from his side. Unexpectedly for me, the position of our Armenian partners was formulated in such a way that it was unacceptable for them, and Prime Minister Pashinyan told me directly that he saw this as a threat to the interests of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. It is still not clear to me what this threat exactly would have been, bearing in mind that the return of civilians was supposed to be held while the Armenian would have controlled that part of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, including Shusha, and bearing in mind the presence of our peacekeepers, which we have had already agreed with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. The prime minister then told me, “no, we cannot agree to this, we will fight, we will fight.” Therefore, the accusations against him of some kind of betrayal have no foundation.”

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): “By the way, Turkey was originally a member of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Karabakh settlement. So it was inside an international institution, an international settlement mechanism. It was not a co-chair, we have three co-chairs: France, Russia, and the United States, Turkey was not among the co-chairs. But nevertheless, it was part of this group. There are 11 states in total. You can define Turkey’s actions just as you wish, but you can hardly accuse Turkey of violating international law.”

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): “Armenia did not recognise the independence and sovereignty of Nagorno-Karabakh. This meant from the point of view of international law, both Nagorno-Karabakh and all adjacent regions were and are an integral part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. And the Collective Security Treaty, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, provides for mutual assistance in the event of territorial aggression against a member state of this treaty. Nobody encroached on the territory of the Armenian Republic, and this did not give us any right to take a direct part in these hostilities.”

Armenia set to withdraw from most provinces in Karabakh

Azerbaijan president Aliyev visits Nagorno-Karabakh, says Armenia must “answer” for damage

Armenian FM resigns post Nagorno-Karabakh deal

Nagorno Karabakh war report

Armenia and Azerbaijan Today, November 17, 2020