Armenian, Russian Presidents didn’t discuss deploying peacekeepers in Artsakh – President Sargsyan responds to questions of Baze participants

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan didn’t discuss the issue of deploying peacekeeping forces in Artsakh during the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President said during the meeting with the participants of Baze pan-Armenian youth camp.

The President also touched upon the recent statement of OSCE Minsk Group acting American Co-Chair Richard Hoagland and the analysis over the Armenian-Russian high-level talks held in Sochi according to which the date of Hoagland’s statement was not a coincidence.

President Sargsyan said a tradition of meetings in a free regime has been formed with Vladimir Putin several times a year, and during those meetings the multifaceted agenda of the Armenian-Russian relations is being discussed. The meeting in Sochi was one of them.

The participants asked the President whether the rumors are right according to which the issue of deploying peacekeepers in Artsakh has been discussed during the meeting with the Russian President.

“We not only didn’t hold a discussion on peacekeeping forces, but also we didn’t hold a discussion in general. I have just briefly introduced the current situation in the line of contact and I presented my vision over the intentions of our neighbor. That’s it. We have not discussed any such issue”, he said.

Asked about the link of the statement of Co-Chair Richard Hoagland with Sargsyan-Putin meeting, the President said the link between these two events is unlikely, in case when the former US Co-Chair also expressed an opinion in a more free status over the negotiations after his resignation.

“Hoagland is leaving his post and one day he must have expressed his conclusion in a more freely status since it’s one thing to be a current Co-Chair, and another thing when he is going to resign. If you remember, the same was true for the previous one. In general, such tradition has been formed since in that case his words are not obliging since tomorrow he will not take part in the negotiations so that one of the sides will not quote his words. As for what has been said by Hoagland, it was absolutely nothing new for me. But for many, I think, it is a proof of the fact that previously our stance and our meetings have been misinterpreted. The leaders of the Co-Chairing countries have repeatedly talked about this, and overall, that provisions have been put forward for more than 10 years. It’s just a general approach. In order for that provisions to be implemented, they need to be documented for days, weeks, months since every word, every comma in that document is very important”, the President said.