Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin met in a videoconference format

On 10 November, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin met in a videoconference format.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said:

- Good evening, dear Ilham Heydar oglu.

President Ilham Aliyev: Good evening, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

President Vladimir Putin: Today, we are signing a trilateral declaration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the President of the Russian Federation.

I hope very much that the decision set out in our 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 our statement today. 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. Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich. For my part, I would like to say that I am delighted that an end is being put to the longstanding conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan today, an end is being put to the occupation of Azerbaijan’s lands by an agreement on essential 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. I must say that the military-political settlement of the conflict we are now witnessing will, I am sure, lead to long-term peace and accord in our region and put an end to confrontation and bloodshed.

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.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would like to express my gratitude to you for your active participation in the process's settlement in previous years, and 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 Russian Federation's special role in the settlement of this conflict. And I am sure that the Russian Federation's role in further activities in the region, including eliminating the consequences of the conflict and the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, will also be significant.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, today for his active participation in the political settlement of the conflict. One of the provisions of today's statement is the joint peacekeeping mission of Russia and Turkey. Thus, we are creating an entirely 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 Azerbaijani people on this historic event. Thank you.

President Vladimir Putin: I think, as I said, that this will indeed 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. Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich. Let's move on to signing.

President Vladimir Putin: Yes.

President Ilham Aliyev and President Vladimir Putin signed the statement.

President Vladimir Putin: Thank you, Ilham Heydar oglu.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

President Vladimir Putin: I wish you all the best. I wish all the people, all peoples living in these territories all the best. I want to express the hope that we 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 people living in these territories for the benefit of the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples. Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: 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 significant milestone in the history of the peoples of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Thank you again.

President Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: All the best.

President Vladimir Putin: Goodbye.

President Ilham Aliyev: Goodbye.