For the first time, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and called what was happening a tragedy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is ready to fulfill allied obligations to Armenia. At the same time, he pointed out that Yerevan has no questions about Russia’s fulfillment of these obligations.
Now in Russia, according to Putin, there are about two million Azerbaijanis, as well as over two million Armenians.
“We are very worried because Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are territories where people who are not strangers to us live. We hope that the conflict will be ended in the very near future, ”he said.
According to him, a large number of Russian citizens maintain friendly and family relations with both republics. Putin called on the parties to end the armed confrontation. “People are dying, heavy losses on both sides,” he said.
The Russian leader specified that he is in constant contact with the Armenian Prime Minister.
On October 5, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for the first time the aggravation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh a war. Earlier, the Kremlin reported that Russia can bring peacekeepers into the combat zone only with the consent of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Armed clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) began on September 27. Yerevan and Baku accused each other of escalating the conflict.
In 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh, the majority of whose population were Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan. Baku tried to return the region by force, after which a war broke out. In 1994, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the NKR signed a truce protocol with the mediation of Russia, but hostilities are periodically resumed.