What Putin and Pashinyan Discussed in the Kremlin: A Russian Media Analysis

The Russian Regnum news agency has published an article by Caucasus expert and candidate of historical sciences Stanislav Tarasov, which addresses the meeting and negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Kremlin.

The article notes that, from a diplomatic practice perspective, this was considered Pashinyan's working visit to Moscow. He specifically stated in his opening remarks that he arrived at Putin's invitation and emphasized that "this is their fourth meeting this year." Once again, from the standpoint of diplomatic practice, a working visit by a head of state is conducted as necessary and always has specific goals.

The purpose of the meeting, according to the Kremlin's announcement, was to discuss the implementation of the 2020 agreements concerning Nagorno-Karabakh among the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, as well as further steps to deepen stability and establish connections in the region.

Before conversing with Pashinyan in Moscow, Putin stated: "Soon there will be a CIS summit. I would also like to clarify positions with you in this direction. And, of course, on the main issues of our cooperation, including regulation in the region today and in the long term." As observed, in this open dialogue section, the Russian president refrained from political assessments of the situation, leaving them for the closed part of the negotiations.

Pashinyan chose a different tactic: "It is very important for allies to meet and talk often. Unfortunately, it is still impossible to discuss comprehensive stabilization in our region. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved. And it is clear that Russia, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, plays a key role in resolving the conflict and ensuring security in our region in general."

Moreover, the publication adds that, in their opinion, it was in this open portion of the negotiations that Pashinyan introduced a specific topic into the dialogue, sending a corresponding “signal” to Baku and the Armenian political audience, who are closely watching high-level Armenian-Russian discussions.

Pashinyan's last meeting with Putin took place on July 7 of this year in Moscow, where the situation in the region following the end of the second Karabakh war was also discussed. However, there was no breakthrough in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, and in some areas, the situation began to generally degrade. When speaking about normalizing relations with Yerevan post-war, Azerbaijan chose to capitalize on the