Azernews.Az

The establishment of dialogue is of supreme importance to Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Russian president's special representative for international cultural co-operation, co-chair of the CIS Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy says.

"I am also confident that any contacts with non-governmental organizations and civil societies are also very important," Shvydkoy told journalists in Baku.

According to him, such dialogue will take place following the elections in Azerbaijan. New presidential terms in Azerbaijan and Armenia will foster opportunities for dialogue, he said.

According to him, one should not waste time, as both the Azerbaijani and Armenian societies and the international community view any steps that help normalize the situation in a good light.

"No one wants war. It is very important for us to develop humanitarian contacts, because no matter what decisions have been taken, it is important for people to accept them. It is very important that people understand why various decisions were made," Shvydkoy said.

In his view, any effort in this area is good.

"Russia has a single position on this matter - we want stability in the South Caucasus and stability in relations between the states, realizing that we have friendly strategic relations both with Armenia and Azerbaijan. The stability is very important for us. I hope that common sense will prevail," he said.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.