Armenia and Azerbaijan agree in Russia not to “use force”

First modification: 01/11/2022 – 00:02

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed “not to use force” to resolve the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, following a summit held in Russia on Monday, October 31, between their two leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Baku and Yerevan “agreed not to resort to force” and “to resolve all disputes solely on the basis of recognition of mutual sovereignty and territorial integration”, according to a joint declaration adopted at the end of this tripartite summit aimed at reaffirming the influence of Moscow in the Caucasus.

They also stressed “the importance of active preparations for the conclusion of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, in order to ensure lasting and sustainable peace in the region.”

Russia as referee

Vladimir Putin, who has been preoccupied for the past eight months with his offensive against Ukraine, which has thrown Moscow’s traditional partners into disarray, wanted this summit to restore Russia’s traditional role as arbiter in this unstable region, where the West is conducting their own mediation efforts.

The summit was held in Sochi, in southwestern Russia, a month after border clashes left 286 dead. This is the highest number of fatalities since the 2020 war for control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region disputed between the two former Soviet republics since the 1990s.

“In our common opinion, it was a very useful meeting that created a very good atmosphere for possible future agreements,” Vladimir Putin said. “For its part, Russia will do everything possible to find a definitive and comprehensive solution” to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said, adding: “It is in everyone’s interest to normalize relations.”

“We will remain in contact and continue the dialogue and the search for the necessary solutions to put an end to this conflict,” he promised.

The Russian president first held a meeting alone with the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinian. “The most important thing is to ensure peace and create conditions for development,” Vladimir Putin told his counterpart. The Armenian Prime Minister stressed that his priorities were Azerbaijan’s withdrawal from the Nagorno-Karabakh areas where Russian peacekeepers are deployed and the release of prisoners of war.

The Russian president then received his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, who thanked him for “improving the normalization process.”

The autumn 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan left more than 6,500 dead on both sides and ended with an Armenian military defeat and a Moscow-sponsored peace deal. However, sporadic clashes have continued, despite the presence of Russian troops, both in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the recognized border between the two countries, as in September.

The Russian-led talks come at a time when Western capitals have been more active in mediating the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. European Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks between Nikol Pashinian and Ilham Aliyev in Brussels in August.

*With AFP; adapted from its French version