Nagorno Karabakh Conflict Not Fully Solved, but There Is Progress: Putin Tells Aliyev

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Moscow on Tuesday, has said that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has not been fully solved, but there is progress.

“I think that despite the problems that still arise, we can still be satisfied with the level have reached,” the Russian president said as he welcomed Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to the Kremlin.

“There are certain agreements not only in terms of ensuring the security of all the people who live there, but also in terms of developing trade and economic ties and unblocking transport communications,” Putin said.

“I know that there are still disputes, there are things to work on. But we, for our part, will do everything to ensure that this process proceeds peacefully, develops peacefully, and that we achieve, of course, the satisfaction of all the parties involved in this process,” he said.

Putin stressed that not only Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also the Russian federation and other neighboring countries are interested in the solution of the exiting issues, including the opening of transport communications.

Touching on regional developments, including in Ukrainian, Putin refuted speculation that Russia is going to restore the empire within its own imperial borders.

“After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia recognized all the new geopolitical realities and, as you know, is actively working to strengthen its cooperation with all the countries, independent states that emerged in the post-Soviet space. Even in acute, very sensitive situations, which is, for example, the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, we have always acted very carefully, based on the interests of all the states involved in this process, and have always tried to achieve mutually acceptable solutions,” the Russian president said.