23 Oct 2020 18:12

Unrecognized NKR leader asks Putin to help stop hostilities

YEREVAN. Oct 23 (Interfax) - Arayik Harutyunyan, the president of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to employ all possible measures to secure a ceasefire in the conflict zone.

"You are a man and a leader who enjoys huge personal credibility in the world and in our region. I am asking you to do everything possible to stop the hostilities in the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict zone and resume a political process," Harutyunyan said in an open letter to Putin published on the NKR leader's Facebook account on Friday.

The NKR highly values Russia's active efforts and Putin's personal contribution toward ending largescale combat activities and curbing Azerbaijan's aggression, he said.

Putin's remarks at Thursday's meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club and his judgments on the situation in the region have made a significant impression on the NKR, Harutyunyan said.

At all stages of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Russia has strictly adhered to international law and principles of the conflict's peaceful settlement based on the non-use of force or the threat to use force, he said.

"In the process of settling the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, Russia has acted both as an OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] Minsk Group co-chair country and a country playing a special role in maintaining peace and stability in the region. The Republic of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] highly values Russia's mediating efforts, its active role, and its decisive contribution at all stages of the conflict's settlement and the achievement of the trilateral ceasefire agreement of 1994. Russia also played a decisive role in restoring peace and stability during a new escalation of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict in 2016. It is precisely through Russia's mediation that an agreement was reached on April 5, 2016, on ending the hostilities and reinstating the 1994 ceasefire regulations," Harutyunyan said.

The unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic sees Russia as a brotherly nation that has always lent a helping hand to the Armenian people living there at the most difficult moments, he said.

Speaking on Thursday, Putin described the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as "the worst edition" of the conflict.

"This conflict started not just as a conflict between two states and a territorial dispute. It started with ethnic confrontation. And, unfortunately, it's also a fact that brutal crimes against the Armenian people were committed first in Sumgayit and then in Nagorno-Karabakh," Putin said.

At the same time, this situation in which Azerbaijan has lost a significant part of its territory cannot continue endlessly, he said.

"Over many, many years, we have proposed various options for settling this crisis in order to achieve a sustainable historical settlement. I won't get into detail now, but trust me, this has been hard work done to bring the positions closer together. It appeared at some moments that it would take just a little bit more, just one more step for us to find a solution. However, unfortunately, this hasn't happened," Putin said.

Putin once again called for putting an end to the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, as this has still not been achieved, despite the Moscow agreements.

"The first thing that should be done is to immediately stop the hostilities. We actually agreed on that at the meeting in Moscow. But, unfortunately, we weren't able to maintain the situation. We will continue to seek this," Putin said.

For many years, Russia has been seeking and been proposing compromises for settling the crisis, he said.

"We, up to every detail, up to the kilometers, frankly speaking, have mapped out different corridors, and [proposed] an exchange of territories. All kinds of things have been proposed to us. However, we unfortunately could not find that solution. All of this has resulted in the current tragedy," Putin said.

He said he hopes that the hostilities will end after all.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the beginning of a military operation along the entire line of contact in the Karabakh conflict zone on the morning of September 27. The ministry said it was "a counteroffensive" launched in response to provocations from the Armenian side.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the time that the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic had been attacked by Azerbaijan.

The fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone is continuing now, despite two attempts to conclude a "humanitarian truce." Both parties to the conflict are reportedly sustaining losses, both in terms of troops and equipment.