Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Azerbaijani foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov discussed by phone on Tuesday the easing of tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Russian MFA said in a statement.
"The parties checked notes on the easing of tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, unblocking all transport and economic ties in the South Caucasus, creating a favorable atmosphere for regional cooperation," the diplomatic office said. The Russian minister "stressed the importance of continuing efforts towards the political and diplomatic settlement of the whole range of issues of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia".
Lavrov and Bayramov also exchanged views on the implementation of the agreements of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia of November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021, in view of the approaching anniversary of the trilateral statement on the full ceasefire and all military actions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. "The ministers noted with satisfaction the progressive development of the multifaceted Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership," the diplomatic office added.
The press service of the Azerbaijani MFA also reported that Bayramov and Lavrov discussed the implementation of agreements regarding Nagorno-Karabakh and the unblocking of transport communications in the region. "Azerbaijani foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation on November 2 <...> The sides discussed the implementation of trilateral statements [on Karabakh], including the activities of the working group on the opening of transport communications," the diplomatic office informed.
The statement noted that the ministers exchanged views on the current situation in the region and "stressed the importance of developing a platform of cooperation in 3+3 format" with the participation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey and Iran. It was also reported that the agenda of bilateral relations was discussed during the conversation.
Six-party cooperation initiative
The initiative on the six-party format of cooperation on Karabakh and the issue of unblocking economic and transport ties in the region was previously proposed by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev and Tayyip Erdogan. Iran welcomed the idea, assuring that it was ready to promote steps to strengthen peace in the region. Earlier Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia was working with its Armenian counterparts and also expected Georgia to express interest in creating such a mechanism.
On October 8, Georgian deputy prime minister and foreign minister David Zalkaliani said that Tbilisi should be represented in the new negotiation format at least in some way, despite the existing disagreements with Russia. This statement drew sharp criticism from the opposition.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS