Meeting with Nikol Pashinyan

On October 31, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in the Russian Federation, Sochi, on a working visit, the Press Office of the Armenian Prime Minister reported.

On the same day, the meeting between Nikol Pashinyan and Vladimir Putin took place in Sochi.

In his speech, the President of the Russian Federation stated: "Most recently, on your initiative, a meeting of the Heads of State of the CSTO member states was held via video conference. We see the approaches of our partners and the developments on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Karabakh. That conflict has been dragging on for decades; that is why it should be finished at some point. I agree with that. I know you have the political will for it, and we support it in every way. We should, of course, find the key elements with you now and then in a trilateral format that will allow us to move forward."

"We always have in mind the fact that Armenia is our strategic partner and ally, as I said at the meeting with the leaders of the CSTO, from ancient times until today. That's why this is a unique situation for us. I hope that today we will be able to take steps toward settlement. I'm glad to see you," he stated.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stressed: "Last week at the Valdai Discussion Club, you raised the issue of a possible peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, highlighting some important elements of this process related to Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming that you will support the choice of principles that the Armenian side will express in favor of."

"I spoke about this during the last closed session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, in which you also participated. I would like to emphasize once again that in terms of Nagorno Karabakh issue, the approaches proposed by the Russian side in the draft project "The main principles and elements of establishment of interstate relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia" are acceptable for us," he said.

Pashinyan added, "I hope you will support the proposal to refer to this document in the text of a possible statement based on today's trilateral meeting results. Armenia has proposed, but so far, we have no confirmation that the Russian side supports this proposal. I would like to emphasize that this in no way contradicts the agreements reached in Prague on October 6 of this year. By the way, during the Prague negotiations, I was guided by your public statements, including those regarding Nagorno Karabakh."

Regarding Russian peacekeepers in the region, he stated: "The issue of the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, where they invaded in March of this year, is very important for us. Contrary to agreements at the highest level, Azerbaijani troops have not yet left the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. I hope that this issue will be resolved as a result of today's discussions."

Meeting with Ilham Aliyev

On October 31, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in Sochi for a working visit at the invitation of Putin, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported.

On the same day, a bilateral meeting was held between Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin in Sochi.

Welcoming President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin said: "The purpose of this meeting, as I see it, is to ensure the implementation of all our agreements reached in 2020 and 2021. You have repeatedly pointed out that Russia has played a prominent and important role in resolving the conflict. And now our peacekeeping contingent is fulfilling its mission, as it should do. I am grateful for these assessments."

"Today, of course, we will need to talk about the situation that has developed and look for ways to resolve issues that have not yet been resolved. In this regard, I would also note an important component of an economic nature: we have created a trilateral working group, which deputy prime ministers head. They have advanced quite far in resolving the issues we spoke about two years ago. It is necessary to give an additional impetus in this area as well. I know the Azerbaijani side is actively working in this direction," he added.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said: "It is now time to speak and act towards normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Of course, we highly appreciate your role in this matter. Today's trilateral meeting, which will follow a little later, will not be our first meeting. As I can see, such meetings have been held on your initiative before and gave a very good impetus to the normalization process."

"The Karabakh conflict has already been consigned to history. It was resolved two years ago, so there is nothing to discuss in this context. The normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations is a format that, of course, requires very serious steps. We look forward to your continued active personal role and Russia's role in achieving these goals," Ilham Aliyev concluded.