President of Russia Vladimir Putin President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met in a videoconference format.
The Russian leader said that he hopes very much that the decision set out in the joint statement will not only put an end to the many years of confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, not only put an end to bloodshed on this land, but also create reliable mechanisms to exercise control over the agreements we have reached in the statement. "But most importantly, it will create favorable conditions for a long-term historical future, for the development of relations in the region, first of all, friendly relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the interests of both the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples," Putin stressed.
Ilham Aliyev said that he is "very glad that an end is being put to the long-term conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan today, an end is being put to the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by an agreement on important positions that has taken more than one hour and, in general, more than one day." "We have reached a settlement that I believe meets the interests of the peoples of Azerbaijan, Armenia and countries of the region," the head of state said.
The Azerbaijani President said that this military-political settlement of the conflict will lead to long-term peace and accord in our region and put an end to confrontation and bloodshed. He stressed that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the longest-running conflicts in our region, in Eurasia. "And the fact that it is coming to an end today is a historic event. It is a historic event first of all for the people of Azerbaijan, which are finally getting rid of the many years of occupation. It is also a triumph of the norms and principles of international law, the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, which, unfortunately, remained on paper for a long time," Ilham Aliyev said.
"Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would like to express my gratitude to you for your active participation in the settlement of process in previous years, especially during the hot phase of the conflict. And the fact that the three leaders of the countries are signing this document today speaks volumes of the special role of the Russian Federation in the settlement of this conflict. And I am sure that the role of the Russian Federation in further activities in the region, including the overcoming of the consequences of the conflict and the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, will also be significant," the Azerbaijani leader noted.
He also expressed his gratitude to the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his active participation in the political settlement of the conflict. Aliyev recalled that one of the provisions of the statement is the joint peacekeeping mission of Russia and Turkey. "Thus, we are creating a completely new format of interaction in the region not only within the framework of the conflict settlement but also for future development. Because one of the provisions also stipulates the unblocking of all transport communications, which will benefit all countries of the region. Therefore, I sign this document today with a feeling of joy and a sense of pride, and I would like to congratulate the entire Azerbaijani people on this historic event," Ilham Aliyev said.
Vladimir Putin said that the signing of the agreement will benefit the interests of both the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples. "Russia, for its part, will do everything possible to ensure that all the positions reached during the negotiations between the three parties, the statement we are signing today, are implemented," the Russian leader explained.
He wished all peoples living in these territories all the best and expressed hope that they have done a good deed and created good basic conditions for the progressive development of relations between all countries of this region for the benefit of the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples.
"Thank you again, Vladimir Vladimirovich. Thank you for your personal involvement, and I am sure that what happened today will go down in history as a very important historic date in the history of the peoples of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia," Ilham Aliyev said.
After that, the heads of state signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh since 00:00 Moscow Time on November 10.
President Ilham Aliyev in an address to the nation announced the dates when the Armenian Armed Forces will withdraw from the Aghdam, Kelbajar and Lachin regions of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
"Aghdam region will be returned to Azerbaijan before November 20, Kelbajar region - before November 15, Lachin region - before December 1," the head of state said.
"This statement has a historical significance. The statement was signed in a video conference. However, at the last moment, the Armenian Prime Minister refused to sign the statement. That is why the statement was signed by me and the President of Russia," he added.
According to him, the presidents of Russia and Armenia will sign the document. "Pashinyan’s move is understandable. Pashinyan will sign the document anyway. This statement is our glorious victory," Ilham Aliyev added.
