Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Kremlin Palace. Making statements before the meeting, where the leaders met for the first time after the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire, Putin thanked Aliyev and Pashinyan for coming to Moscow.
Defending that Russia's mediation steps in Karabakh are aimed at ensuring a stable ceasefire in the region, Putin said, “The tripartite ceasefire agreement reached by Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia continues to be implemented consistently. "The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is calm, 48 thousand refugees have already returned to the region." Putin, who asserted that the prerequisites were created for a comprehensive solution to the conflict in Karabakh, "Russia is trying to follow the basic principles determined in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group with all the steps it takes. "We continue to constantly consult with our partners about our steps." A
t the meeting to be held in Moscow, Putin drew attention to the importance of determining the lines of the agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh reached on 10 November 2020, and said:
"I mean issues related to the activities of the Russian peacekeeping force, clarification of border lines, resolution of humanitarian problems, protection of cultural heritage. Especially the issue of opening economic, commercial and transportation links and borders is of great importance. It is envisaged that the work on this issue will be carried out by the joint working group under the chairmanship of the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan."
The Russian leader, Aliyev and Pashinyan said that they hoped the meeting would contribute to the resolution of the situation in Karabakh.