Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov visiting Moscow has conveyed President Ilham Aliyev’s written response to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev’s recent proposals on settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

Mammadyarov declined to elaborate on the gist of the letter after talks with Lavrov on Monday.

"Since this is a letter addressed to the Russian president by the Azerbaijani president, it would be wrong to disclose its details," he said, adding that it was necessary to "wait for the Armenian side’s response".

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan said in a phone conversation with Lavrov on Monday that Yerevan will respond to the Russian president’s proposals shortly, RIA Novosti reported.

Minister Lavrov submitted Medvedev’s proposals in writing to Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan during his visits to Azerbaijan and Armenia on July 8. The proposals were made after Medvedev hosted his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts in Kazan on June 24, the ninth in a series of trilateral meetings on the Karabakh conflict. The leaders of the mediating countries had urged to finalize a roadmap of a peace agreement during the Kazan summit, but such a document was not signed, and the parties even traded accusations after the meeting.

According to Mammadyarov, Baku believes that overall, progress was achieved in Karabakh settlement at the Kazan meeting.

"Certainly, everyone was expecting a major breakthrough in Kazan, [which did not happen], but, in any case, we are consistently taking steps forward," he said. "Everyone understands that the current situation does not suit any party involved, including the [mediating OSCE Minsk Group’s] co-chairs -- the United States, Russia and France -- as well as our neighbors. In this context, we have to move forward.

"In general, we believe that we have to continue discussing the topics that have not been agreed yet. We have to make our way to discussions on a legal document – a peace accord – and it is time to do that! A peace agreement will be a serious signal of a shift to a final stage of negotiations."

Lavrov, for his part, said Russia will study the Azerbaijani leader’s response to President Medvedev’s proposals.

"Nagorno Karabakh settlement is a priority for Russia," he said. "The draft of the Basic Principles starts with the parties’ intention to work on a peace agreement. Our efforts will be continued in the context of our relations with both countries [Azerbaijan and Armenia] and in the capacity of a country co-chairing the OSCE MG."

The Basic Principles of the conflict settlement that lie at the core of peace talks include the return of the territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all internally displaced persons to return to their homes.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, has been under the occupation of Armenian armed forces since the war that displaced up to a million Azerbaijanis. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.