SOCHI, Oct 31 Vladimir Putin holds a trilateral meeting in Sochi with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the parties are discussing the settlement of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, said the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov.
"The presidents and the prime minister are talking together& #34;,” he said.
The negotiations were preceded by bilateral meetings between Putin, Aliyev and Pashinyan.
The summit is taking place in the Sochi sanatorium «Rus», where, along with the Bocharov Ruchei residence, the Russian president traditionally receives foreign guests.
Earlier, Pashinyan said he was ready to accept and sign in Sochi a document that would form the basis of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. According to him, we are talking about the adoption in a trilateral format of a document on reaching agreement on the basis of 15 points.
It is possible that the parties will also touch upon the issue of extending the mandate of the Russian peacekeepers for 10-20 years. Peskov, speaking about the prospect of signing this document, did not get ahead of himself and suggested waiting for negotiations.
According to the Kremlin, it is planned to consider the implementation of the trilateral agreements between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which were reached in 2020 and 2021, at the talks in Sochi , as well as further steps to strengthen stability and security in the Transcaucasus. The agenda also includes issues of restoration and development of trade, economic and transport ties.
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions during the armed confrontation in 1992-1994. Since 1992, negotiations have been underway on a peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, headed by three co-chairs — Russia, the United States and France. Azerbaijan insists on maintaining its territorial integrity, Armenia defends the interests of the unrecognized republic, since the NKR is not a party to the negotiations.
At the end of September 2020, hostilities resumed in Nagorno-Karabakh, which became a continuation of a long-term conflict and led to casualties among civilian population. The parties made several attempts to conclude a truce, but the tripartite agreement reached on the night of November 10 was successful. With the mediation of Moscow, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to completely cease fire and exchange prisoners and the bodies of the dead. Yerevan also transferred the Kalbajar, Lachin and Aghdam regions to Baku. In addition, Russian peacekeepers have been stationed in the region.