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Russia Today
Aug 9 2014
Sochi may host Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks - Kremlin
Published time: August 09, 2014 23:11
The presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia may hold three-party
talks in Sochi on Sunday to curb the recent outbreak of violence in
the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in the South Caucasus, Moscow
said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh
Sargsyan, arrived to the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Saturday for
separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We do not rule out such a meeting," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
said when asked about three-party negotiations.
The leaders of the three states could also attend a combat SAMBO
competition together in the evening on Sunday, he added.
Aliyev, who was the first to talk to the Russian president, stressed
that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia "has
lasted far too long and needs to be addressed."
Sargsyan promised to explain to Putin "the reasons behind Azerbaijan's
deliberate escalation of the crisis on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
and the contact line."
According to Peskov, all three presidents "expressed concern about the
growing tension and recent incidents that resulted in numerous
casualties."
"The situation is in fact volatile and unstable and efforts are being
taken now to bring it under control," he said.
The Armenian president's press service announced on Thursday that
Sargsyan is eager to take part in a three-sided meeting in Sochi. The
Azerbaijani side has made no official comments on the issue.
In early August, relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia deteriorated
into the worst crisis since the beginning of the century.
The recent violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic - an unrecognized
state populated by ethnical Armenians and completely surrounded by
Azeri territories - led to the deaths of 13 Azerbaijani soldiers and
five Nagorno-Karabakh troops.
The confrontation over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in 1988 when the
region announced its plans to seek independence from Azerbaijan and
become part of Armenia.
After Armenia and Azerbaijan obtained independence from the Soviet
Union in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum, which approved the
creation of an independent state. Azerbaijan made an attempt to regain
control over the territory and the conflict quickly escalated into a
full-scale war, in which around 30,000 people were killed.
The sides announced a ceasefire back in 1994, but were never able to
agree a peace treaty, with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic remaining an
unrecognized state.
Russia has since played the role of key mediator in the process of
finding a solution to the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In
2008, Aliyev and Sargsyan held talks with then-Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev, signing an agreement which called for a political
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
http://rt.com/news/179232-russia-azerbaijan-armenia-karabakh/
From: A. Papazian
Aug 9 2014
Sochi may host Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks - Kremlin
Published time: August 09, 2014 23:11
The presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia may hold three-party
talks in Sochi on Sunday to curb the recent outbreak of violence in
the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in the South Caucasus, Moscow
said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh
Sargsyan, arrived to the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Saturday for
separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We do not rule out such a meeting," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
said when asked about three-party negotiations.
The leaders of the three states could also attend a combat SAMBO
competition together in the evening on Sunday, he added.
Aliyev, who was the first to talk to the Russian president, stressed
that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia "has
lasted far too long and needs to be addressed."
Sargsyan promised to explain to Putin "the reasons behind Azerbaijan's
deliberate escalation of the crisis on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
and the contact line."
According to Peskov, all three presidents "expressed concern about the
growing tension and recent incidents that resulted in numerous
casualties."
"The situation is in fact volatile and unstable and efforts are being
taken now to bring it under control," he said.
The Armenian president's press service announced on Thursday that
Sargsyan is eager to take part in a three-sided meeting in Sochi. The
Azerbaijani side has made no official comments on the issue.
In early August, relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia deteriorated
into the worst crisis since the beginning of the century.
The recent violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic - an unrecognized
state populated by ethnical Armenians and completely surrounded by
Azeri territories - led to the deaths of 13 Azerbaijani soldiers and
five Nagorno-Karabakh troops.
The confrontation over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in 1988 when the
region announced its plans to seek independence from Azerbaijan and
become part of Armenia.
After Armenia and Azerbaijan obtained independence from the Soviet
Union in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum, which approved the
creation of an independent state. Azerbaijan made an attempt to regain
control over the territory and the conflict quickly escalated into a
full-scale war, in which around 30,000 people were killed.
The sides announced a ceasefire back in 1994, but were never able to
agree a peace treaty, with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic remaining an
unrecognized state.
Russia has since played the role of key mediator in the process of
finding a solution to the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In
2008, Aliyev and Sargsyan held talks with then-Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev, signing an agreement which called for a political
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
http://rt.com/news/179232-russia-azerbaijan-armenia-karabakh/
From: A. Papazian