Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Sochi, Russia today.
“As we agreed during the meeting in Kazakhstan, we are meeting today in Sochi. You and President Aliyev also chose Sochi as the meeting place. We have met here several times in this format. I apologize for the autumn weather, but there is nothing we can do. The main thing is that there is an opportunity to meet and talk,” said the Russian President and continued. “In fact, we have already started this discussion when the three of us met in Astana, but, of course, it was not enough to solve such a serious and old issue. Therefore, we implement your initiative.
Very recently, on your initiative, an online meeting was held at the level of CSTO heads of state. We see the approaches of our partners regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the situation around Karabakh. The conflict has been going on for many years, so it has to be resolved somehow, I agree with that. I know that you have political will in this issue, and we support it.
We need to find key points with you now, also in a trilateral format, which will allow us to move forward. Let me recall how the agreement was reached during the armed conflict. At that time, we all relied on the position that the main thing is to ensure peace and create conditions for economic development, including the conditions for the economic development of Armenia.
In that sense, the unblocking of transport infrastructures, the creation of new routes, issues related to the development of the economy and the social sphere - after all, this is what we are working for, all of it is intended for the benefit of the people. Therefore, we should talk about all these issues today, and I hope that we will make progress. We are always guided by the principle that Armenia has been our ally and strategic partner for centuries, as I mentioned during the meeting with CSTO leaders. Therefore, the situation is special for us. I have great hope that today we will take steps in the direction of settlement,” said the Russian President.
