Azernews.Az

Russia and Turkey are keen on ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus region and are particularly making efforts to achieve a settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said after a one-on-one meeting with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul in Ankara.
Medvedev told a news conference that Moscow would avail of its influence to step up conflict resolution efforts and would continue its consultations with Turkish partners on this issue.
Medvedev said "encouraging steps have recently been taken to settle the Garabagh problem".
"The sides are holding meetings, are speaking with each other, certain progress has been reached on a number of issues, but it does not mean all issues have been agreed. I personally offered the two presidents my mediating services. I hope it will go on. Naturally, other members of the OSCE Minsk Group [brokering the peace process] should make their contribution, but all the issues should be discussed by the conflicting sides, i.e. Armenia and Azerbaijan, first."
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict for two decades. Russia co-chairs the Minsk Group, along with the United States and France.
Medvedev added that the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia would meet in the near future.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, speaking to a joint press conference with President Medvedev, did not rule out Ankara’s involvement in the Garabagh settlement process "if the OSCE Minsk Group successfully continues its activity in this regard."
Erdogan said that the main objective was to encourage Azerbaijan and Armenia to reach a point that would foster a negotiated settlement of the long-standing dispute.
President Medvedev arrived in Ankara on Tuesday evening. He is in Turkey on a two-day official visit aimed at improving trade and tourism between the two nations.*