Putin about the peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku: "We can't and are not going to dictate anything to Armenia'

YEREVAN, October 28. /ARKA/. Speaking Thursday at an annual meeting of Russia’s Valdai Discussion Club, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there were two competing plans to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict –the Russian and the Western, but added that Moscow would support any option chosen by the Armenian people.
Putin said that Moscow would suggest that Armenia return five districts surrounding Karabakh to Azerbaijan at the first stage of the conflict settlement, except for Kelbajar and Lachin, which provided overland corridors between Armenia and Karabakh and allow the Azerbaijani refugees to return there
‘That would have been a good step to normalize the situation in the region as a whole, but the Armenian leadership went its own way. As you know, that has led to the situation that has developed to date," Putin said.
"Our position is that the peace treaty between Armenian and Azerbaijan is, of course, necessary. And we support a peace settlement, as well as the delimitation of the border and a complete settlement of the border issue. We're for that. It's up to Armenia, the Armenian people and the Armenian leadership to decide which option to choose. No matter what option is chosen, if it leads to peace, we are only for it," the Russian President said.
Putin said Moscow was not going to dictate anything to Armenia. ‘If the Armenian people and today's Armenian leadership believes that a particular variant of a peace treaty must be chosen ... The so-called Washington agreement, as far as I understand it, provides for the recognition of the sovereignty of Azerbaijan over Karabakh as a whole, and if Armenia believes so, you are welcome. We will support any choice the Armenian people make. If the Armenian people and Armenia and the Armenian leadership think that Karabakh has some peculiarities, and that these peculiarities should be taken into account and somehow that should be stipulated in a future peace agreement that is also possible. But of course we need to reach an agreement with Azerbaijan, and this agreement should be acceptable to the other side, Azerbaijan as well," Putin said.
"This is a very complicated, frankly speaking, difficult issue. But Armenia is our strategic partner and ally, and of course, bearing in mind Azerbaijan's interests, we will be guided by what Armenia itself will offer," the Russian leader summarized.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on the eve that he wants to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan by the end of this year. Pashinyan also confirmed his participation in the trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev in Sochi on October 31. -0-