Medvedev says determination of Karabakh status "impossible now"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has not been resolved yet, is better to be postponed to the future rather than discuss now, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said Monday, February 1.

"I believe it is quite obvious today that the issue of the status has not really been resolved, but it cannot be discussed now, because any electrification of this field of discussions around the status leads to a powerful discharge," Medvedev said in an interview with the Russian media.

"It is impossible to do this now. Moreover, the positions of the parties here are very different, there are discussions even within Armenia."

Medvedev noted that he spent a lot of time discussing the matter with his colleagues in the past.

"I want to remind you that Armenia did not recognize the independence of Karabakh. We forget about this for some reason but it is the reality. Therefore, the question of status should be postponed for the future," said the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council.

Medvedev described the work of Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at normalizing the situation in Karabakh as "filigree". If not for Putin's involvement, he said, "this conflict could still be going on."

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side has returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.