The Russian leader offered assistance in facilitating the border delimitation process
Russia is ready to play a role in helping to resolve the long-running feud between Azerbaijan and Armenia and achieve peace, President Vladimir Putin has told his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with tensions centering on the disputed Karabakh region, which until recently was predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians.
Speaking in front of reporters on Monday during his visit to Baku, Putin stressed that while Russia now faces “crises” on several fronts, including in the Ukraine conflict, its historical involvement in the affairs of the South Caucasus “compels us to take part” in the affairs of the region “to the extent that it is required by the parties.”
“If we could do anything to facilitate the signing of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, to bring the matter closer to delimitation and demarcation of the border, to unblock… the logistics and economics, we would be very happy to do so.”
The Russian leader also noted that he would inform Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the talks in Baku.
Over the decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in a series of bloody conflicts over Karabakh. In 2023, Baku managed to regain control of the territory, leading to the dissolution of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, with most Armenians subsequently fleeing the region.
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