Azernews.Az

BAKU – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Azerbaijan and Armenia following talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Friday to maintain vigorous discussions on settling the Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh conflict.

"The frequency of meetings between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents with the Russian president’s participation has recently been high," Medvedev told a press conference. "The intensity of these contacts should not decrease."

He said Russia was ready to fulfill its commitments within the OSCE Minsk Group brokering Karabakh settlement talks "and its moral obligations as a neighboring country".

"I am personally ready to continue such contacts and discuss the most complicated issues that remain on the agenda," Medvedev said.

President Aliyev thanked Medvedev for his mediating role in Karabakh talks.

"I am confident that the Russian president’s personal involvement is playing a positive role, and talks with his participation are more effective," Aliyev said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict for two decades. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent districts, remains under Armenian occupation. Russia co-chairs the Minsk Group, along with the United States and France.