polSOCHI, November 26. /TASS/. Much has been done over the past year to settle the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, but, regrettably, not all the problems have been resolved, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday opening trilateral talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan timed to the first anniversary of the signing of the November 9, 2020 statement on the cessation of hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Indeed, much has been done over this period. Regrettably, not all problems have been resolved. I know about the incidents at the border and about tragic incidents when people are killed and wounded on both sides," he said.
According to the Russian president, such developments require special attention from the leaders. "As a matter of fact, this is why we have gathered here today - to avoid such incidents in the future. But, in general, much has been done over the year," he said.
He noted that "no large-scale hostilities are reported, which is a positive achievement."
"Over this time, much has been done with our assistance to ensure the return of refugees: 53,000 people have returned to their homes. A good monitoring group has been set up and as far as I can see from the assessments of both sides, our contingent is operating quite well to ensure safe living conditions for people," Putin noted, adding that a Russian-Turkish center for ceasefire monitoring continues to operate.
"But the main thing is that conditions are being created for a normal, peaceful life in the future. This is what matters most," the Russian leader stressed.