Yerevan: Mediamax: Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on his meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a press conference in Bishkek on September 1.
Here are excerpts from Vladimir Putin's response to a journalist's question.
Nagorno-Karabakh, CSTO, Russia, and the West
"It all started with the issues of Nagorno-Karabakh. The leadership of Armenia, the prime minister himself, signed a relevant document in Prague and accepted that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. From that moment, our position on this issue became very ambiguous. Can we intervene or should we intervene in Azerbaijan's internal affairs?
Western figures (I won't name names now) actively told me that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. They told me, 'We will ensure the rights and interests of the Armenian population living there.' I said, 'You will ensure nothing; people will simply leave, and that's it.' Although President Aliyev will not do anything bad to these people. He is a modern, educated man and will try to ensure their interests, but they still will not stay. And so it happened.
But after that, it is quite difficult to take responsibility for all these events, and Russia appeared at the 'right moment.'
I do not want to blame anyone for anything. The logic of events was as it was. But this decision of the current leadership of Armenia may also have positive aspects. One can turn the page and move forward without conflicts, resettle people in new places, unblock infrastructure, start a new life in the economy, open borders for investments, and so on. There are also quite a few positive aspects."
"Serious Analysis"
"We agreed to conduct dialogue in a calm mode; Nikol Vovaevich suggested seriously analyzing all areas of our joint work. I agree with that. I invited him to Moscow so that we could, without haste, go through all the points together with our specialists.
There are also specific questions. We are, in fact, renting a railway. There is a question of its development. Investments in such infrastructure depend on the volume of transportation. God willing, now, perhaps, everything will go differently, the border will open towards Turkey, in other directions, and perhaps a cargo flow will arise. But if it arises, then these investments can be made by everyone, Russia can also do it."
The Future of the Military Base
"If Armenia finds that the Russian military base is not needed, we will leave tomorrow. Is Armenia ready for that? Please, we do not impose anything on anyone. But if the Armenian people want some military 'Russian wing' to be there, we will stay, work, and cooperate."
