Russian President Vladimir Putin has played an active role in resolving the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] in the fall of 2020, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in an interview with National Defense Magazine.
"It was the evening of November 8. And on November 9, we agreed to have a phone conversation again, as Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] played a very active role in the events; he was conveying my messages to [Armenian PM Nikol] Pashinyan, and was conveying the messages from him to me. The agreement lasted until late at night and lasted until after midnight. It was November 10 in Baku time, so we call it the ‘November 10 statement,’ whereas it was [still] November 9 in Moscow," Aliyev said.
According to him, the text of the trilateral statement on ceasefire was finally managed to be agreed.
"Naturally, it was supposed to be signed, but Vladimir Vladimirovich asked me not to insist that Pashinyan sign it in our presence. The President of Russia is a very tactful person, very gentle, he treats everyone very respectfully. And I said that I will not insist, I do not need any additional moments related to the humiliation of Pashinyan, as it is not a humiliation of a person, but of a country, whereas we cannot allow that to ourselves," the Azerbaijani president said.
Aliyev stated that he first told Putin about the war in Karabakh on October 7.
"Naturally, we were in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin at various phases of the hostilities. Our first telephone conversation since the start of the war took place on October 7, his birthday. I traditionally congratulate Vladimir Vladimirovich on his birthday. And this was our first phone contact from the moment when ten days had passed since the start of hostilities. We also discussed how and what to do to end the war," the Azerbaijani president said.