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Russian, Azerbaijani FMs to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement

6 March 2017 11:11 (UTC+04:00)
Russian, Azerbaijani FMs to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is in Moscow on an official visit at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The visit is taking place on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Russian-Azerbaijani diplomatic relations, which will be celebrated on April 4, TASS reported.

"During the talks the ministers will discuss the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation, key aspects of regional and international agenda, including the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry noted that for more than two decades Russia, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, has been a key mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

The Russian side added that unlocking the conflict is of paramount importance for Russia, given the geographical proximity and the common history of peoples of the two countries. “Assisting the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is among Russia’s foreign policy priorities.”

Russia along with the U.S. and France is a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group established to broker a peace to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

The Russian Foreign Ministry added that Russia and Azerbaijan are linked by relations of strategic partnership based on equality, respect for each other's interests and good neighborliness. "Currently, there are more than 80 interstate and intergovernmental agreements signed between two countries."

The trade and economic cooperation is successfully developing, said the Russian MFA, adding that the Russian-Azerbaijani trade turnover amounted to over $1,954 billion at the end of 2016.

The ministry noted that interregional cooperation is an important component of the Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation. “Currently, about 600 enterprises and organizations operating in the majority of subjects of the Russian Federation are involved in foreign trade with Azerbaijan. A total of 17 of them have cooperation agreements with Azerbaijan.”

"We are considering the upcoming visit in the context of the continuation of the Russian-Azerbaijani political dialogue, and further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation," the Ministry stressed.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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