“I have always said before a military-political solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was reached that only the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia can solve this problem. Not a contact group on Karabakh, but three leaders. And now we see that the settlement process continues along the same trajectory, and all the others can only introduce additional political tension into the process,” Kalashnikov said.

Touching upon the agreements reached in the economic area, the Russian deputy said it’s hard to live in Armenia today, people are leaving the country and wages are lower.

“Why? First of all, the country [Armenia] is blocked due to the Karabakh conflict. In order to solve this problem, it was necessary to resolve the key issue about territories. It seems to me that the settlement now proceeds along the line of economic unblocking. If Armenia needs a free, mutually beneficial development, then, of course, the economy needs to be unblocked. Unblocking the economy means unblocking borders, routes of communication for people, for goods,” he added.

According to Kalashnikov, it will be beneficial for both Armenia and Azerbaijan. “It is logical that the issue will not be resolved right away, but the fact that the three leaders have begun to agree on it, to take concrete practical decisions is very positive.”

The Russian lawmaker also commented on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks that the Karabakh conflict is not over yet. He noted that having suffered a heavy defeat in the Karabakh war, Pashinyan is having a hard time.

“Pashinyan has to adhere to certain rhetoric, relying on his electorate, his people. It is clear that the positions of Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents – Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev – look stronger. One can understand in this regard Pashinyan's attempt to look back. He tries to stick to a certain political game. And both Putin and Aliyev understand this, and they do not need to explain something to their peoples. They understand that the Armenian people need time to understand the benefits that the peace agreement brings,” Kalashnikov added.

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