Joint statement of Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders made public

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin have signed a Statement in Sochi.

Report informs, citing AZERTAC, that the statement reads:

"We, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan I. H. Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia N. V. Pashinyan and President of the Russian Federation V. V. Putin, met in Sochi on 31 October 2022 and discussed the implementation of the trilateral statements of 9 November 2020, 11 January and 26 November 2021.

"We reaffirmed our commitment to strict compliance with all these agreements in the interests of the comprehensive normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations, ensuring a lasting peace, stability, security and sustainable economic development of the South Caucasus. We agreed to make additional effort to urgently resolve the remaining tasks, including the block of humanitarian issues.

"Noting the key contribution of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to ensuring security in the zone of its deployment, we emphasized the relevance of its efforts to stabilize the situation in the region.

"We agreed to refrain from the use or the threat of using force, to discuss and resolve all problematic issues solely on the basis of mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders in accordance with the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991.

"We emphasized the importance of active preparation for the signing of a peace treaty between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia in order to achieve sustainable and lasting peace in the region. On the basis of the currently developed proposals, it was agreed to continue the search for acceptable solutions. The Russian Federation will render all possible assistance in this.

"We emphasized the importance of creating a positive atmosphere between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia to continue the dialogue between representatives of the public, expert communities and religious leaders with Russian assistance, as well as launching trilateral inter-parliamentary contacts in order to strengthen confidence between the peoples of the two countries.

"The leaders of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia welcome the readiness of the Russian Federation to continue to contribute in every possible way to the normalization of relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, ensuring stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus."