Putin: Armenia`s recognition of Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan in Prague has given Russia`s position on this issue an ambivalent character

ArmInfo. After Armenia's recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan in Prague in October 2022, Russia's position on this issue has become very ambivalent. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference following his visit to Bishkek.

"You know, I don't want to delve into the recent past, but it all started (we agreed we'd try not to, but you're simply forcing me to. It's okay, we'll talk about it and then we'll stop). It all started with the Karabakh issue. The Armenian leadership, the prime minister himself, signed the relevant document in Prague and recognized that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. From that moment on, our position on this issue became very ambivalent. "Can we or should we interfere in Azerbaijan's domestic political affairs?" Putin said.

The Russian leader added that the West, very actively, has been telling him personally. Western European countries have been telling him that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. "And they told me: 'We will ensure the rights and interests of the Armenian population living there.' I said: 'You won't ensure anything, the people will simply leave, and that's it.' Although President Aliyev won't do anything bad to these people. He is a modern, intelligent man, he will try to ensure their interests, 100 percent, but they still won't stay. And that's what happened. But after this, it's quite difficult to take responsibility for all these events; Russia is right there, by the way." "We've already explained everything, explained everything," the Russian president noted.

He went on to note that he didn't want to accuse anyone of anything and stated that the logic of events was as it was. "But there may also be some advantages to this decision by the current Armenian leadership, because it completely reveals the situation. We can turn the page and move on without any conflicts, without anything, to settle people in new places of residence, unblock infrastructure, start a new life for the economy, open borders for investment, and so on. There are actually quite a few advantages, too," Putin concluded.