Putin spoke about the ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh
Russia, within the framework of the collective security Treaty Organization, should only help a country that is a party to this Treaty in the event of aggression, Russian President Vladimir Putin reminded. Since Nagorno-Karabakh was not recognized as Armenian territory, Moscow had no reason to interfere in the armed conflict there.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled that Armenia itself did not recognize the independence and sovereignty of Nagorno-Karabakh. This, as the head of state noted on the Rossiya 1 TV channel, showed that, from the point of view of international law, both Nagorno-Karabakh and all the surrounding areas were and remain an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
"The CSTO Treaty provides for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against the territory of a member state of this Treaty. No one attempted to enter the territory of the Armenian Republic, and this did not give us any right to take a direct part in the fighting," Putin explained.
At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that Moscow fully fulfilled its obligations in the framework of military-technical cooperation with Yerevan. "I assure you, Armenia did not feel abandoned or forgotten. And Russia has done everything to prevent this from happening, " the head of state stated.
He also noted that Russia was only a mediator in the conclusion of the agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh. "Russia performed only the role of a mediator and assumed the obligations under this document to carry out the peaceful separation of the parties. That's what we are doing now, " the President added.
The document in question was signed by Vladimir Putin, his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on November 9. According to the agreement, the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh was completely stopped. Baku and Yerevan stopped at the occupied positions, and Russian peacekeepers were introduced to the region. According to these agreements, the Russian peacekeeping group should consist of 1,960 military personnel with small arms, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 vehicles and other equipment.
Russian peacekeepers will stay in Karabakh for five years. When this period expires, their stay there can be automatically extended for a similar period. In this case, the agreement will be canceled if one of the parties expresses such a desire six months before the expiration date.
Almost two weeks after the armistice was signed, on November 21, a delegation from Russia arrived in Armenia, which included defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, health Minister Mikhail Murashko, Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk and head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova.
Sergei Shoigu during his working visit met in Yerevan with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and head of the defense Ministry of the Republic of Vagharshak Harutyunyan. The defense Minister briefed on the peacekeeping operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, deploying field units of the Russian troops and observation posts, monitoring for cessation of hostilities and addressing the humanitarian challenges in the region.
"We arrived with specific tasks. You know that after the trilateral statement was signed, a peacekeeping contingent was deployed. During these days, we have stood up almost all over the territory of Karabakh. 23 posts were set up, " Shoigu stated.
He noted that Russian peacekeepers control the road to Stepanakert and ensure the return of refugees.
"And our main task is to prevent bloodshed. This is the task that our Supreme commander - in-chief set for us," the Minister stressed.
Nikol Pashinyan thanked Russia for restoring peace in Nagorno-Karabakh. "During the war, we always felt the support of the Russian Federation... Times were difficult, but now the military-political situation has changed, " he said.
After the visit to Yerevan, the Russian interdepartmental delegation arrived in Baku. There, she held talks with President Ilham Aliyev, reported the official representative of the foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova. The meeting was held in the administration of the President of Azerbaijan. Aliyev highly appreciated Moscow's efforts to stabilize the situation in the region. He also noted that the provisions of the trilateral statement on Nagorno-Karabakh are being implemented successfully.
"This once again demonstrates the readiness of both the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides to put an end to the long-standing conflict and reach a political settlement," the Azerbaijani leader stressed.
Kristina Sizova