Russia ready to create necessary sphere to reach Karabakh conflict settlement

Russia hopes for resuming the contacts between the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities over Nagorno-Karabakh issue and is ready to assist in resolving the problem, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference after a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on Monday, RIA Novosti reported.

"We hope that the direct contacts between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders will be resumed in the near future," Lavrov said. "As I said, we will do our best to help to create the necessary sphere to reach the conflict settlement upon the earlier reached agreements."

Azerbaijani and Armenian president Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan must meet in Vienna on November 19 within the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries 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 the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/