Lasting settlement of Karabakh conflict is possible only with the balance of interests of Armenia and Azerbaijan: Putin

The lasting settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is possible only with the balance of interests of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said at a forum today.

He stressed that the lasting settlement may be found only in case of finding balance of interests, acceptable for the both parties.

Putin said people there must feel them safe. “At the same time opportunities would have been created for effective regional development with the unblocking of infrastructural opportunities that would have been the basis for effective development of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and for the very Nagorno Karabakh too, where people there live rather modestly,” Putin said.

He stressed that in the first phase it is necessary to cease the hostilities, stop the death of the people, sit at the table of negotiations.

“On the basis of proposals worked out by the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairs – Russia, the USA and France, with the participation of other participants of the Minsk Group which has many countries, including Turkey and a number of European countries, find consensus and balance of interests on the basis of joint work. It is possible to do it,” Putin said.