Yerevan /Mediamax/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that rejection of the joint statement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9 “would mean suicide” for Armenia.

In the interview with RTR channel (PTP), Putin has said that “every country, of course, has the right to make their own decisions, but to reject a joint statement would be a big mistake.”

Vladimir Putin has noted that Armenia did not feel “abandoned” during the war, as Russia fulfilled its allied obligations to the necessary extent and ensured a “balance of forces”.

Touching on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Russian President said:

“We have agreed to maintain the current status quo, and what happens next will be resolved in the future by future leaders, future participants in this process.”

Vladimir Putin has also said that he almost managed to persuade the President of Azerbaijan to cease hostilities on October 20, but Ilham Aliyev insisted that the Azerbaijani civilians must return to Shushi.

“Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Pashinyan told me that he saw a threat in the interests of Armenia and Karabakh in that option. I still do not understand what the danger was, if we take into account that the civilians had to return to Shushi which was under the control of the Armenian side, as well as taking into account the presence of our peacekeepers,” Putin said.

The Russian President has noted that non-recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh, including by Armenia, “put a significant mark on the development of events and the perception of the conflict”. Putin has added that the hostilities took place on the territories recognized by the international community as part of Azerbaijan.