Azerbaijani opposition talks about V. Putin's interview

Baku/18.11.20/Turan: It will be possible to assess the position of the President of Russia after that after December 1, said the head of the Republican Alternative party Ilgar Mammadov, responding to a request to comment on the interview of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Russia-24 TV channel.

"The assessment can be given after December 1, when it becomes clear to what extent Armenia has fulfilled the conditions for the release of Aghdam, Lachin and Kalbajar," Mammadov said.

According to him, now is the most sensitive moment of the process. Any word can be taken out of context and negatively affect the process.

The head of the Musavat party, Arif Hajili, believes that Putin has recognized some realities. “However, his words about Russia's role in the conflict do not quite reflect reality. The war was stopped not as a result of the introduction of peacekeepers, but because of Armenia's inability to continue military operations. The Armenian army was defeated,” Hajili said.

As for (Putin's) concern about the safety of the Armenian population, there are 30,000 Armenians living in Azerbaijan outside of Nagorno-Karabakh, including 10,000 in Baku, and they do not have any security problems.

“Azerbaijan is able to ensure the security and freedom of conscience of all peoples living in the country, including the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. For this, Azerbaijan does not need help and military support of any state,” Hajili said.

He believes that Putin is using the issue of the NK status for Russia's presence in the Caucasus.

The status of people living in Nagorno-Karabakh is known - they are citizens of Azerbaijan, Hajili noted. —06D-