Putin: no peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan yet

YEREVAN, November 1. /ARKA/. There is no peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan yet, Russian president Vladimir Putin said at a press conference after a summit with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Russian Sochi on October 31. 

"It is still premature to talk about the main components of that document, because it is still a subject of compromises, which should be achieved by both sides with the mediation, if both negotiating parties want, including our country as well," Putin said.

He agreed that border demarcation and delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a crucial issue.

"We really talked a lot about it today. There are some preconditions that, in general, a way has been found, if you read today's statement carefully, you will find preliminary estimates there. If not agreements, then the preconditions that they can be reached. We are ready to provide the maps at our disposal, even those of the General Staff of the Soviet Army, which are the most accurate maps, as we understand it. And we are ready to move forward on that basis, discussing with both sides. We have agreed that these contacts, these talks, these consultations will continue," Putin said.

He also responded to a question whether Pashinyan had asked him to extend the mandate of peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh from five years to twenty.

"We talked about it. A joint agreement is needed for that. It will depend on the possible conclusion of a peace treaty, the border demarcation and delimitation. If these issues are resolved, then the issue of peacekeepers will become different, If not resolved, or resolved to some extent, then the fate of our peacekeeping contingent will also depend on that," Putin said.

He said that in any case the sides expressed gratitude to Russia for the work being done there. -0-