Lavrov: Russia ready to further assist Karabakh conflict settlement

By Trend

Russia will be ready to continue to render the most active mediation assistance both within the OSCE and in the Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan format to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Lavrov made the remark at a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Yerevan, Trend reports.

"While speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, the sides emphasized the importance of intensifying the efforts aimed at active and constructive advancing the negotiations between the parties and reaffirmed the need for further steps to ease the tension, taking into account the existing agreements, including those that we coordinated in April this year during the meeting among the foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and three co-chairmen [of the OSCE Minsk group],” the minister added.

“We consider it important to continue the implementation of these measures, which were agreed by the ministers," Lavrov said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.