No One Is As Interested in the Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict as Russia, Says Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict did not begin as a struggle for territory between states, but rather as an ethnic confrontation. This was announced by the Russian president during a session of the Valdai International Discussion Club, as reported by RIA Novosti.

“Unfortunately, this is a fact, when brutal crimes were committed against the Armenian people in Sumgait and then in Nagorno-Karabakh. We must take all this into account,” said the Russian president.

Putin emphasized that no one is more interested in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict than the Russian Federation. “For us, this is a special situation. A group was established in '92, co-chaired by Russia, France, and the USA. We are responsible for organizing the negotiation process. I am 100% confident that all participants in the process sincerely strive for the situation to be resolved. However, no one is as interested as Russia,” stated the Russian president.

The Kremlin leader also addressed the ongoing military operations in Artsakh and the significant casualties on both sides. “According to our data, there are more than 2,000 casualties on each side, and the total number of casualties approaches 5,000. During the ten years of the war in Afghanistan, the Soviet army lost 13,000 people, while here, in this short period, there have been about 5,000,” emphasized President Vladimir Putin.

Putin also noted that their approaches regarding the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh do not coincide with Turkey's. The Russian president further highlighted that if 30 years of negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh have not yielded success, it does not mean that one should begin to shoot. He reiterated that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict initially started with brutal crimes against the Armenian people.

According to the Russian president, the Minsk Group has been created, with Russia, France, and the USA as co-chairs, who bear the responsibility for the negotiation process. “I maintain close ties with both President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. I speak with them several times a day, multiple times a day. Our foreign ministers, defense ministers, and heads of special services are in constant contact. You know that the foreign ministers of the two countries were in Moscow again, and on October 23, they will be meeting in Washington. I hope our American partners will work alongside us and assist in the settlement, we hope for the best,” concluded Putin.