Putin met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit.
Russia’s official TASS news agency reported ahead of the talks that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict will be high on their agenda. But Putin did not mention the issue in his opening remarks publicized by the Kremlin, speaking instead about Russia’s bilateral ties with Armenia and Azerbaijan. He said, in particular, that Russian-Armenian trade is on course to a reach a new record this year.
Speaking to journalists earlier in the day, Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, indicated that Moscow tried to arrange a trilateral meeting of the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders.
“No, there has been no agreement about a three-party meeting. There was such an idea, but it was not backed by someone,” Ushakov said without elaborating.
Azerbaijani media claimed earlier that Yerevan has refused to hold Russian-mediated talks with Baku during the CIS summit. The Armenian government did not refute the claim.
Putin offered to help Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiate a peace deal when he visited Baku in August. Pashinian effectively declined the offer, saying that he prefers direct negotiations with Baku. He also complained about Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s “totally baseless” criticism of Yerevan’s position on Armenian-Azerbaijani transport links.
Yerevan also rejected similar Russian initiatives earlier this year amid its mounting tensions with Moscow. It has been far more open to peace talks with Baku mediated or arranged by Western powers.
Pashinian’s most recent meeting with Aliyev was organized by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Munich in February. And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in July and September.
Moscow has been very critical of the Western mediation, saying that its main purpose is to drive Russia out of the South Caucasus, rather than end the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Ushakov on Monday accused the United States and the European Union of “trying to wedge themselves into the process of working on a peace treaty” between the two South Caucasus states.