PUTIN URGES AZERBAIJAN TO SOLVE KARABAKH DISPUTE WITH ARMENIA
Europe Online Magazine
Aug 13 2013
Europe
13.08.2013
Moscow (dpa) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday urged
Azerbaijan to find a political settlement for its territorial dispute
with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"Russia is actively engaged in finding a quick solution of the
conflict, which is only possible with political means," Putin told
reporters after talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev in Baku,
Russian news agencies reported.
Putin's comments reflect widespread fear that the unsolved dispute
over the Armenia-controlled territory could lead to a new war in the
volatile Caucasus region.
There have been deadly border clashes in the past months.
Flush with oil cash, Azerbaijan has embarked on a massive arms buildup
and its leaders have threatened to retake Nagorno-Karabakh by force.
Aliev said that a solution should be based on "historical justice,
on international law and international resolutions." He added that
Russia played an important role in the process.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was the first of several ethnic
disputes that broke out in the last years of the Soviet Union. It
ended 1994 after six years of fighting and an estimated death toll
of 30,000 people.
However, more than 20 years of negotiations under the auspices of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe have resulted in
little or no progress.
Moscow has traditionally backed Armenia, which lacks Azerbaijan's
resources and is a close partner of Iran.
But this summer, Russia started delivery of a billion-dollar arms
package, including tanks and rocket launchers, to Azerbaijan.
Russian analysts have said that the Kremlin is eager to ensure a
balance of forces in the strategically important region. They also
said that Putin's visit signals political support for Aliev, who is
standing for re-election in October.
Aliev, who took over the presidency after his father Heydar Aliev
died in 2003, is criticised in the West for his authoritarian style
of government.
http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/putin-urges-azerbaijan-to-solve-karabakh-dispute-with-armenia_293175.html
From: Baghdasarian
Europe Online Magazine
Aug 13 2013
Europe
13.08.2013
Moscow (dpa) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday urged
Azerbaijan to find a political settlement for its territorial dispute
with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"Russia is actively engaged in finding a quick solution of the
conflict, which is only possible with political means," Putin told
reporters after talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev in Baku,
Russian news agencies reported.
Putin's comments reflect widespread fear that the unsolved dispute
over the Armenia-controlled territory could lead to a new war in the
volatile Caucasus region.
There have been deadly border clashes in the past months.
Flush with oil cash, Azerbaijan has embarked on a massive arms buildup
and its leaders have threatened to retake Nagorno-Karabakh by force.
Aliev said that a solution should be based on "historical justice,
on international law and international resolutions." He added that
Russia played an important role in the process.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was the first of several ethnic
disputes that broke out in the last years of the Soviet Union. It
ended 1994 after six years of fighting and an estimated death toll
of 30,000 people.
However, more than 20 years of negotiations under the auspices of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe have resulted in
little or no progress.
Moscow has traditionally backed Armenia, which lacks Azerbaijan's
resources and is a close partner of Iran.
But this summer, Russia started delivery of a billion-dollar arms
package, including tanks and rocket launchers, to Azerbaijan.
Russian analysts have said that the Kremlin is eager to ensure a
balance of forces in the strategically important region. They also
said that Putin's visit signals political support for Aliev, who is
standing for re-election in October.
Aliev, who took over the presidency after his father Heydar Aliev
died in 2003, is criticised in the West for his authoritarian style
of government.
http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/putin-urges-azerbaijan-to-solve-karabakh-dispute-with-armenia_293175.html
From: Baghdasarian