Azernews.Az

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said military threats cannot facilitate a settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh.

Lavrov said in an interview with the Armenian Public Television that Moscow supports a peaceful solution to the long-standing dispute.

"Any document adopted on the Karabakh issue highlights the importance of resolving the conflict in peace. This is the position of the Russian side, the [mediating] OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the UN Security Council. A peaceful Karabakh settlement and the unacceptability of military interference is the main direction in our efforts."

According to the minister, Russia backs any solution of the problem that would suit both Baku and Yerevan.

Armenia has had territorial claims against Azerbaijan, a South Caucasus neighbor, since the early 1990s. The country’s armed forces have been occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, defying international law. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned against Yerevan’s policy of aggression, saying the country’s land will be freed at any cost.