Azernews.Az

BAKU – Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made "wrong decisions" on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh after it emerged in the late 1980s, the Russian ambassador in Baku has said.

Vladimir Dorokhin made the statement in reply to questions asked about the long-standing dispute by representatives of the Youth Public Chamber of Russia visiting Baku, Azerbaijan’s state news agency AzerTAj reported.

"We can now say with all sincerity that the Soviet government headed by Gorbachev made a mistake," Dorokhin said. "He simply wrongly assessed this conflict and passed wrong decisions."

The Karabakh conflict emerged during the last few years of the Soviet Union due to Armenia's territorial claims. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent districts, has been occupied since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994 following a lengthy war. Efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

The ambassador said further that there is still little public awareness about Azerbaijan in Russia.

"Azerbaijan deserves to be known more profoundly. It is a very important and necessary ally for Russia," Dorokhin said.

He noted that Azerbaijan is an independent player in world energy markets today.

"Azerbaijan exports quite a lot of oil, it has a say, and its stance has great importance," Dorokhin added.