Azernews.Az

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigori Karasin has said Moscow is ready to back a solution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict that would suit all sides involved and act as a guarantor of a settlement if a compromise is reached.
"A solution of the problem that will allow bringing back stability and tranquility in the trans-Caucasia region will be viable," Karasin told Respublika Armenia newspaper.
"Such a solution should help to maintain the historically-shaped geo-political balance of forces in the region in the post-conflict period, without simultaneously turning this region into a stage of international political and military rivalry," said Karasin.
The deputy minister reminded that Russia has been actively involved in brokering a settlement to the Garabagh conflict since peace talks began.
"Currently, Russia is fulfilling these duties on a multilateral basis, acting, along with the U.S. and France, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the main international forum for seeking a political solution to the Garabagh settlement," Karasin said, adding that Moscow’s mediating efforts are also being made through bilateral discussions in Baku and Yerevan.
He said that it is not by mere chance that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, hosting his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Moscow on October 12, regarded Russia’s involvement in the process of Garabagh settlement as "a very important dimension of our relations."
"We see our role in assisting the process of settling the Upper Garabagh conflict, the sides’ seeking mutually acceptable upshots on key issues, but [doing so] without imposing any external recipes on the parties to the conflict," Karasin said, adding that the brunt of responsibility for making a final choice rests with Azeris and Armenians proper.
According to Karasin, the parties have achieved certain progress in agreeing upon the basic principles of the conflict settlement, and Moscow is ready to continue doing everything in its power to move this process forward.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Peace talks have not yet resulted in resolving the conflict.
Touching upon Turkey-Armenia relations, the Russian deputy minister said no aspect of the recently-reached bilateral agreement could be interpreted as hurting the interests of a third party. He noted that Ankara and Yerevan’s signing protocols on mending ties last month indicates the two countries’ decisiveness to establish good neighborliness ties.
Karasin added that Moscow was ready to support the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement by implementing economic projects in the future, in particular, those in the energy and transport sectors.
Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ally, and Armenia signed protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their borders in Zurich on October 10, after decades of hostility. The move has raised concerns in Azerbaijan.*