Joint Statement Signed by Aliyev, Putin, and Pashinyan in Sochi

On October 31, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia met in Sochi in a tripartite format, the press offices of the Azerbaijani President and Armenian Prime Minister reported. 

The joint statement on the results of the meeting states that at the meeting, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, and President of Russia Vladimir Putin discussed the implementation of tripartite statements on November 9, 2020, January 11, and November 26, 2021. 

For the sake of the comprehensive normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations and the provision of peace, stability, security, and sustainable economic development in the South Caucasus, commitment has once again been demonstrated to comply with all these agreements strictly. "We agreed to make additional efforts to urgently address the remaining tasks, including humanitarian issues," the document said. The statement mentions the main contribution of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to ensuring security in the area and emphasizes its importance in stabilizing the situation in the region. "We agreed to refrain from the use of force or the threat of its use and to resolve all problematic issues through discussion only based on mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of borders, by the UN Charter and the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration," the document states. In addition, the statement stresses the importance of active preparation for the conclusion of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia to achieve sustainable and long-term peace in the region. It was agreed between the parties to continue the search for mutually acceptable solutions based on the available opportunities. Russia has said that it will provide every kind of help. 

The leaders noted the importance of creating a positive atmosphere between Azerbaijan and Armenia to continue the dialogue between public representatives, experts, and religious leaders with the help of Russia, as well as the importance of starting tripartite inter-parliamentary contacts to strengthen the trust between the peoples of the two countries. The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia welcomed Russia's readiness to contribute in any way to the normalization of relations between these countries and to ensuring stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus. 

According to the Press Office of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin said that three sessions of negotiations were held. "First, we talked one-on-one with the Armenian delegation and then with the Prime Minister of Armenia. Later, we talked one-on-one with the Azerbaijani delegation and the President of Azerbaijan. Then the three of us talked for two hours, maybe a little more. In our general opinion, this meeting was very useful. I think this meeting created a very good atmosphere for possible future agreements on some fundamental issues. Today we agreed on a joint statement. To be clear, it was not possible to agree on everything. We had to remove some parts from the text which were previously processed at the level of experts. However, I agree with the general opinion that the meeting was useful and set the stage for further steps toward settling the situation as a whole. And when I say the whole, I mean both the current events of the recent past and the events that happened two years ago. In any case, at that time, we managed to agree on fundamental issues. Today's discussion shows that we can agree on the future of all our countries. When I say all our countries, I mean Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and all the region's countries. Because all the people living in this area are interested in normalizing relations. Russia will do everything possible to achieve a definitive and comprehensive settlement," Putin stated.

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