Putin informs Erdoğan about Nagorno-Karabakh meeting with Azerbaijan, Armenia
Russian President Vladimir Putin informed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Moscow’s trilateral meeting held with Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh during a phone call Wednesday.
Kremlin reported after the call that Putin said one of the major outcomes of the meeting was the confirmation of the intention to normalize the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Erdoğan, on the other hand, expressed that Turkey desires circumstances in Nagorno-Karabakh that will enable Azerbaijanis and Armenians to live together in harmony without the necessity of monitoring. According to a presidential statement released following the meeting, Erdoğan said that when these circumstances are achieved, the whole world will see the constructive results of the Turkish-Russian partnership once again.
The two leaders also discussed the situation of the joint Turkish-Russian center in the region.
The leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact Monday to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire Caucasus region.
Speaking in Moscow alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Putin hailed the talks as “extremely important and useful.”
“We were able to come to an agreement … on the development of the situation in the region,” Putin told reporters four hours after the trilateral talks began.
The Russian leader also said the Nov. 10 agreement between the three countries, ending the 44-day Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, had generally been fulfilled. He added that Russian military units, who are temporarily in the region, are carrying out their duties.
Clashes erupted on Sept. 27 and the Armenian Army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating cease-fire agreements. During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian occupation.
The two countries signed a Russia-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
A joint Turkish-Russian center with peacekeepers from both countries has been established to monitor the truce. The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have withdrawn in line with the agreement.
This article originally appeared in DAILY SABAH on 13 Jan 2021.