The Tripartite Statement is Very Important, as it Stopped the Bloodshed – Putin

The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh had escalated out of control, stated Russian President Vladimir Putin during his press conference today, addressing the causes of the outbreak of war in the region.

“The tension has been prolonged for many years. I do not think it occurred as a result of external interference. There have been numerous clashes and shootouts over time, resulting in this conflict,” he noted.

Putin emphasized that Russia’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue has been clear: agreements must be reached without bloodshed.

Commenting on the Turkish factor, the Russian president stated, “Turkey's viewpoint on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue has been publicly declared—they supported Azerbaijan's position, which is the return of the territories ‘occupied’ in the 1990s. From the perspective of international law, all these territories are an inseparable part of Azerbaijan.”

Putin reminded that Armenia has not recognized the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, therefore from the viewpoint of international law, Nagorno-Karabakh is also considered part of Azerbaijan. “The situation, however, is, in my opinion, more complex than normative preconditions suggest. The roots of this ethnic conflict extend back to Sumgait. Each side has its own truth. The people of Nagorno-Karabakh took up arms in the past to defend their lives and dignity, and this situation has been created,” he said.

According to Putin, the territorial issues that arose between Armenia and Azerbaijan after the signed tripartite statement need to be resolved through negotiations. “We have agreed that military operations will cease and that the parties will remain in the positions they were in at the moment of signing the statement. Certain technical issues have arisen regarding the infrastructure, both for Armenia and Azerbaijan. These should be resolved calmly during the negotiation process since the tripartite statement provides for all these possibilities, as it states that after the establishment of a ceasefire, there should be a complete stabilization of relations in the region through economic and infrastructural unblocking. This also refers to Nakhchivan, southern and northern Armenia. I hope that the recent outbreak of the ceasefire violation will be the only one and it will be possible to bring all parties to the negotiating table,” said Putin.

Vladimir Putin added that the signed tripartite statement is very important as it halted the bloodshed, people stopped dying, and everything else is secondary. “The preservation of human life and health is the most critical issue that we have resolved,” emphasized the Russian president.