Azernews.Az

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict are due to arrive in Baku in the coming days, Vladimir Dorokhin, the Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, told journalists.
Reporters enquired about the discussions held by Igor Popov, the new Russian co-chair, during his recent visit to Khankandi, the center of the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic, regarding construction of an airport in the Armenia-occupied Azerbaijani town. The ambassador replied that he could not comment on the matter.
"Popov, himself, will arrive in Baku in the coming days. Ask himself what he said or did not say in Khankandi," Dorokhin said.
The ambassador emphasized that Garabagh settlement will also be discussed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Turkey, due May 11.
"Both Russia and Turkey want peace and stability to be restored in the Caucasus region," Dorokhin added.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict for nearly two decades. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Upper Garabagh and seven adjacent districts, has been under Armenian occupation for nearly two decades. Defying international law, the separatist regime in Upper Garabagh declared so-called independence in 1991, which has not been recognized by the world community. Russia co-chairs the mediating Minsk Group, along with the United States and France.*