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The Moscow Times
Aug 10 2014
Putin Hosts Trilateral Talks, Urges End to Nagorno-Karabakh Violence
By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber
As the international community continues to question Russia's desire
for peace in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin hosted the leaders of
Armenia and Azerbaijan on Sunday to discuss the recent surge of
violence over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Last week, 19 soldiers lost their lives in clashes between Azerbaijani
and Armenian forces, the latest violation of a 1994 cease-fire.
Putin urged Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and his Azerbaijani
counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, to work toward a peaceful resolution of the
conflict in the region, which is vastly populated by ethnic Armenians
but lies within Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders.
"There is no greater tragedy than the loss of human lives," Putin told
his counterparts, according to a partial transcript of the talks
released by the Kremlin on Sunday. "We need to find a solution through
patience, discernment and respect for each other."
Putin met with both Sargsyan and Aliyev individually on Saturday in
Sochi to discuss their countries' bilateral relations with Russia, as
well as the prospect of a trilateral meeting the following day. Both
the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders, who attended a martial arts
competition with Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday
night, welcomed Russia's invitation to the discussion table.
Aliyev expressed his hope Sunday that Putin's personal involvement
would pump a second wind into peace efforts, according to the Kremlin.
The timing of the trilateral talks could suggest Putin's initiative
was geared toward ameliorating Russia's international image, tarnished
by the conflict in Ukraine. It could appear at first glance that Putin
is trying to showcase Russia's ability to de-escalate tensions in its
traditional sphere of influence.
But according to Alexey Makarkin, deputy director of the Moscow-based
Center for Political Technologies, Putin's call for trilateral talks
should not be interpreted within the framework of the Ukraine crisis
but rather within the broader context of Russia's historical role in
moderating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the post-Soviet
era.
"Of course, Putin is trying to show that Russia is capable of
de-escalating tensions, but this is not something new that is related
to the current situation in Ukraine or with the country's relations
with the West," Makarkin told The Moscow Times on Sunday.
"Historically, Russia has played an important role in trying to
stabilize the situation [in Nagorno-Karabakh]."
Along with the United States and France, Russia co-chairs the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group,
which has supported negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since 1992. Russia also brokered a
cease-fire agreement that ended the six-year Nagorno-Karabakh war in
1994.
In recent years, the Russian presidency has also played a central role
in promoting a peaceful resolution to the seemingly intractable
conflict. Sargsyan and Aliyev met with then-Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev in 2008 in Moscow, where the leaders signed an agreement to
continue talks on a settlement of the conflict.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/putin-hosts-trilateral-talks-urges-end-to-nagorno-karabakh-violence/504854.html
Aug 10 2014
Putin Hosts Trilateral Talks, Urges End to Nagorno-Karabakh Violence
By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber
As the international community continues to question Russia's desire
for peace in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin hosted the leaders of
Armenia and Azerbaijan on Sunday to discuss the recent surge of
violence over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Last week, 19 soldiers lost their lives in clashes between Azerbaijani
and Armenian forces, the latest violation of a 1994 cease-fire.
Putin urged Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and his Azerbaijani
counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, to work toward a peaceful resolution of the
conflict in the region, which is vastly populated by ethnic Armenians
but lies within Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders.
"There is no greater tragedy than the loss of human lives," Putin told
his counterparts, according to a partial transcript of the talks
released by the Kremlin on Sunday. "We need to find a solution through
patience, discernment and respect for each other."
Putin met with both Sargsyan and Aliyev individually on Saturday in
Sochi to discuss their countries' bilateral relations with Russia, as
well as the prospect of a trilateral meeting the following day. Both
the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders, who attended a martial arts
competition with Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday
night, welcomed Russia's invitation to the discussion table.
Aliyev expressed his hope Sunday that Putin's personal involvement
would pump a second wind into peace efforts, according to the Kremlin.
The timing of the trilateral talks could suggest Putin's initiative
was geared toward ameliorating Russia's international image, tarnished
by the conflict in Ukraine. It could appear at first glance that Putin
is trying to showcase Russia's ability to de-escalate tensions in its
traditional sphere of influence.
But according to Alexey Makarkin, deputy director of the Moscow-based
Center for Political Technologies, Putin's call for trilateral talks
should not be interpreted within the framework of the Ukraine crisis
but rather within the broader context of Russia's historical role in
moderating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the post-Soviet
era.
"Of course, Putin is trying to show that Russia is capable of
de-escalating tensions, but this is not something new that is related
to the current situation in Ukraine or with the country's relations
with the West," Makarkin told The Moscow Times on Sunday.
"Historically, Russia has played an important role in trying to
stabilize the situation [in Nagorno-Karabakh]."
Along with the United States and France, Russia co-chairs the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group,
which has supported negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since 1992. Russia also brokered a
cease-fire agreement that ended the six-year Nagorno-Karabakh war in
1994.
In recent years, the Russian presidency has also played a central role
in promoting a peaceful resolution to the seemingly intractable
conflict. Sargsyan and Aliyev met with then-Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev in 2008 in Moscow, where the leaders signed an agreement to
continue talks on a settlement of the conflict.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/putin-hosts-trilateral-talks-urges-end-to-nagorno-karabakh-violence/504854.html