The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is still at the exit of the hot phase, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this on Monday, opening talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan.
"We are just coming out of the hot phase of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. I would like to note the importance that everyone has to recognize today, the joint statement signed by the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan and the President of the Russian Federation on November 9, which stopped the war and provided an agreement that allows both refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their homes," Lavrov said.
The Russian Foreign Minister stated that the reached agreements could contribute to the transformation of the South Caucasus "from a region of contradictions to a region of stability and prosperity in the interests of all peoples living there". "We will contribute in every possible way to progress in this direction," the Minister stressed. He reminded that Russian peacekeepers were actively working in the region to promote this goal, who also contribute to the speedy completion of the process of a prisoner exchange and return of the bodies.
Besides, Moscow is interested in cooperation with international structures to restore peaceful life in Nagorno-Karabakh, Lavrov continued. "We support in every possible way the activities of international organizations that are ready to invest their resources, experience and potential in the restoration of peaceful life [in Nagorno-Karabakh]," he said. - In particular, the Russian leadership has decided to provide an additional one-time voluntary contribution to the ICRC, which has been operating for many years in the region, including Yerevan and Baku, and directly in Stepanakert.
Opening the negotiations, Lavrov also recalled the anniversary of the 1988 Spitak earthquake: "We express our condolences. We remember what a wide response to this tragedy was in the Soviet Union. I hope that our collective preparedness for such natural disasters is much higher today. We hope that there will be fewer such disasters. Cataclysms that are associated with human activity are much more frequent in our country, unfortunately".
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS