Medvedev says cooperation with Turkey is not a long-term solution in Nagorno-Karabakh

Dmitriy Medvedev, Russia’s deputy chairman of the Security Council, said cooperation with Turkey in Nagorno-Karabakh was not a long-term solution to the conflict, Russian state-run TASS reported on Monday. 

Medvedev remarked that it was a necessity to work with Turkey in the region because of its close relationship with Azerbaijan. He noted that “this factor cannot be ignored” and that Russia sees Turkey as an important partner. 

"We have a productive dialogue, our president constantly communicates with [Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] on this issue," he said.

Turkey was not a signatory to the ceasefire last year that ended the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the overwhelming support it provided to Baku. According to the terms of the truce, Turkey would be permitted to send a military contingent to operate alongside Russia but no peacekeeping forces.

On Saturday, the  joint monitoring centre was opened by representatives of Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan in the Aghdam district of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Despite this cooperation, Medvedev insists that it did not represent a long-term solution to ending all hostilities over the disputed region. He described the centre’s opening as simply a stabilisation measure. 

"But I would refrain from treating it as an element of some long-term policy or build a conspiracy theory here. We were simply obliged to take the realities in our region into account. And the reality is that this issue must be discussed with the Turkish partners," Medvedev said.