Putin: It was Armenia that recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan

It was not Russia that abandoned Karabakh, it was Armenia that recognized it as part of Azerbaijan, said Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during his end-of-year press conference on Thursday.

“As for Armenia, there are complicated developments around Karabakh, but we all understand that it was not us who abandoned Karabakh. It was Armenia that recognized it as part of Azerbaijan. It was done on Armenia’s own initiative; actually, we were not informed about this decision.

It is just a statement of fact because it has both pros and cons. It is what it is. And this is a complex process of its domestic policy. I do not think that it is in the interests of Armenia to withdraw from the CIS, the EAEU, or the CSTO. But the final decision is up to the government,” Russia’s president said.

When asked about the absence of the Armenian PM at “common events”, Putin said that Russia knows “it is related to certain processes in Armenia” and it is not related to “the desire or unwillingness to continue working in these integration unions.”