Argument Between Aliyev and Pashinyan in Front of Putin

Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia clashed on Thursday in front of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, over their territorial disputes regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Reuters, Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, raised the issue of the Lachin corridor - the road connecting Armenia to the Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan - during a meeting in Moscow. A group of Azerbaijani citizens began blocking this road in mid-December, which Pashinyan stated should be under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces, but Baku has established a checkpoint along it. Pashinyan said at the Eurasian Economic Council roundtable in Moscow, "Azerbaijan has blocked this corridor." In response, Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, said, "No corridor has been blocked... There is no need to use this platform for baseless accusations." The two continued to argue for several minutes until Putin ended their discussion, noting that the issue is sensitive. He was then supposed to host trilateral negotiations with Aliyev and Pashinyan. Putin stated, "Now we will have the opportunity, as we agreed, to discuss everything calmly and in a businesslike manner in a trilateral format, and I hope we can reach agreements that will create a situation not only between Armenia and Azerbaijan but also in the region." On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that following a meeting between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington, they have made "significant progress" toward reaching a peace agreement. Blinken noted that the two sides have discussed very difficult topics in recent days and have made tangible progress toward achieving a sustainable peace agreement. He also added that it can be said that a peace agreement is "within reach." Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and gaining independence in 1991, Armenia and Azerbaijan have faced each other in two major wars over Nagorno-Karabakh. Although this region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, its inhabitants are predominantly Armenian. Despite years of mediation efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the two countries have yet to reach a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement to resolve unresolved issues such as border demarcation and the return of prisoners. The U.S. has expressed serious concern over the execution of Armenian prisoners by Azerbaijani military forces. Senior U.S. senators urged Azerbaijan to end violence in Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan stated that Armenia "conditionally" recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani officials have arrested at least 9 individuals on suspicion of connections to the Islamic Republic. The European Union welcomed the latest round of negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Following increased threats, Azerbaijan is increasing its military budget. Armenia and Azerbaijan are on the path to an agreement; the leaders of the two countries are set to meet in Brussels.