Moscow expects that Baku's refusal to discuss the special status of Nagorno-Karabakh will not provoke a new wave of fighting in the region, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Wednesday, November 18.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said earlier that granting a special status to Nagorno-Karabakh is unacceptable for his country.

“We expect that this will not lead to a new wave [of fighting],” Rudenko said, RIA Novosti reports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the status of Karabakh will be determined in the future, but for now the status quo will be maintained.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev have signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Karabakh (Artsakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan has said he has agreed to the deal signed by Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan.