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Russian diplomat declines to say whether Putin, Aliyev, Pashinyan could meet at CIS event

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin noted that there was always a chance that Armenia and Azerbaijan would sign a peace treaty by the end of the year

MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin declined to say whether there is a chance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan holding a trilateral meeting at the upcoming informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg.

"I would prefer, as a diplomat, to refrain from forecasts," he said to a question on the subject at a reception on the occasion of Memorial Day of the Azerbaijani People’s National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

"The Russian side's invitations to Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue the dialogue on peaceful settlement on the basis of the principles that were formulated by the leaders of our countries in November 2020 and later remain in force, remain open," the diplomat went on to say.

Earlier, CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev said that heads of state of the CIS member nations will hold an informal meeting in St. Petersburg on December 26.

Prospects of signing a peace treaty

Armenia and Azerbaijan have a chance to sign a peace treaty by the end of the year, Mikhail Galuzin said.

"It’s probably better to address this question to diplomats from Armenia and Azerbaijan, but I would like to say this: There is always a chance, but whether Armenia and Azerbaijan will use it is [a question]," he said to a question on the subject at a reception on the occasion of Memorial Day of the Azerbaijani People’s National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

On December 7, the Armenian Prime Minister's Office and the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration issued a joint statement and said that Yerevan and Baku reaffirm their intention to settle relations and conclude a peace treaty based on respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Azerbaijan released 32 Armenian servicemen as a sign of goodwill and Armenia released 2 Azerbaijani servicemen.

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Foreign policy Armenia Azerbaijan CIS

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