Putin: Pashinyan agreed that Russia and Azerbaijan bilaterally decide the peacekeepers’ issue

At the Valdai Discussion Club, Russian President Vladimir
Putin said that in Karabakh the Russian peacekeepers had a monitoring mandate
only.

“Armenia recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan in Prague
and Brussels. I learned about it from the press. If Armenia recognizes Karabakh
as part of Azerbaijan, the essence of the conflict changes. After that,
President Aliyev told me: ‘You can see that Armenia has recognized Karabakh as
part of Azerbaijan as well. So, let us decide the issue of the peacekeepers
bilaterally’. In this regard, Prime Minister Pashinyan said, ‘Yes, settle that
issue bilaterally,’” the Russian president said.