Lavrov, Azerbaijani, Armenian FMs discuss Karabakh settlement
Commenting on the results of the working ministerial meeting, the ministry said Russia reiterated that it was ready to act as a guarantor of the Karabakh settlement.
According to the ministry, Azerbaijan and Armenia should reach mutual understanding by political and diplomatic means.
Speaking at the 3rd Caspian summit, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said his country was ready to facilitate the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. "Russia is ready to exert effort in order to ensure security in the region and help the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia."
"Recently certain steps have been taken. I agree that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be settled in compliance with the norms of international law. The work is being done at all levels." "We are ready to help this process," he said.
He recalled that an idea of holding the summit had been put forth during his visit to Azerbaijan in September 2010. "It is good that the colleagues agreed with this initiative. Today we've discussed Caspian interaction," he added.
Commenting on bilateral cooperation, Medvedev said, "Inter- governmental and business-like contacts are developing dynamically." "Nothing should be invented in this field," he said.
"It is necessary to intensify business-like contacts. I mean that our countries overcame the crisis. I believe that world crises have an impact on trade turnover. It decreased. We should do our best to increase it," the Russian president pointed out.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began on February 22, 1988. On November 29, 1989 direct rule in Nagorno-Karabakh was ended and Azerbaijan regained control of the region. However later a joint session of the Armenian parliament and the top legislative body of Nagorno-Karabakh proclaimed the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia; Kazinform cites ITAR-TASS.
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