Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov believes that Russia’s military base in Armenia is unlikely to be used for aims defying Azerbaijan, Russian Interfax news agency reported.

"We have quite high military-political cooperation with Russia," he said. "I don’t think the Russian base in [the Armenian town of] Gyumri will take any anti-Azerbaijani actions that would contradict the level of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia."

Azerbaijan faces a two-decade-long conflict with Armenia. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory has been under Armenian occupation since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994 following a lengthy war. Mediators from Russia, the United States and France have led negotiations on Karabakh settlement but little progress has been made so far.

Commenting on the Russian-Armenian security cooperation, the minister said Baku does not interfere with Moscow’s "relations with its outpost".

"Therefore, it is up to Russia to decide how to strengthen and keep its outpost. On the other hand, we would like more transparency and openness of decisions…so that everyone would know the clear-cut position they take."