Turkish peacekeeping missions will not be sent to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told an interview with Russian and foreign media on topical issues on the international agenda.
"No peacekeeping units of the Republic of Turkey will be sent to Nagorno-Karabakh. This is clearly stated in the statement of the leaders [of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia on the complete cessation of hostilities in Nagorno - Karabakh]," he said.
Lavrov added that he had read statements by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar that "Turkish peacekeepers will work on the same grounds as the Russians." "We are talking exclusively about the very center that will work permanently without visiting missions. In the center a joint Russian and Turkish specialists will operate on the same basis," he said.
The Minister also stressed that the activities of Turkish observers would be limited only to the Russian-Turkish center for monitoring the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is being created in Azerbaijan. "The borders of the mobility of Turkish observers are limited to those geographical coordinates that will be determined for the location of the Russian-Turkish monitoring center being created on the territory of Azerbaijan, in the part of the territory that is not close to Karabakh and that will be further agreed," Lavrov said.
The Russian Foreign Minister pointed out that a Memorandum was signed yesterday at the level of the Defense Ministers of Russia and Turkey. "The center will operate exclusively in remote mode, using technical monitoring tools, including drones, which allow us to determine the situation on the ground in Karabakh and determine which side is observing and which is violating the ceasefire," he continued.
According to Lavrov, many, including in Russia, want to present the agreements reached by the leaders in a distorted form. "I read with amazement some estimates from the category of pique waistcoats. Both here and in other countries of the world. We should be guided by what is written on paper and what is the result of intense negotiations that were held a week before the ceasefire," the Russian Foreign Minister concluded.
Frozen conflict
Lavrov said that assessments that Russia was allegedly interested in keeping the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh frozen were dishonest.
"The Russian Federation is not interested in maintaining frozen conflicts in [Nagorno] Karabakh. Nor in Karabakh, nor in Transnistria, nor anywhere else in the post-Soviet space. Those who put forward such assessments, I believe, are acting absolutely unscrupulously, " Lavrov said. "There is a lack of specific knowledge and a specific desire to understand what exactly is the position of the Russian Federation, what initiatives we are promoting."
Russian peacekeepers
Lavrov said that Moscow was convinced that all parties were interested in the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"We are fully convinced that the parties are interested in the presence of Russian peacekeepers. We made such a condition about the possibility of ending their mandate, but let's not build any "projects" or make forecasts now. Let's support the Russian peacekeepers in fulfilling their very difficult and important mandate to ensure that peaceful life reigns in Karabakh, and throughout the territory of this entity, " the Russian Foreign Minister said.
According to the Minister, the wording of the statement on the cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh about peacekeepers creates "a horizon sufficient for the situation not only to calm down, but also to move into some creative direction."
Lavrov stressed that the rights of all ethnic and religious groups must be respected in the region. "All refugees and displaced persons have the right to return to Karabakh and restore their cultural, religious and civilizational roots. It is necessary to consider the situation with numerous religious buildings, temples, mosques, many of which are in poor condition. This also applies to religious sites in other parts of the region. The Armenian side has repeatedly raised the question of the fate of Christian churches in Nakhichevan," he said.
"I very much hope that the five-year stay of the Russian peacekeeping contingent will allow us to lay at least very solid foundations for further progress in this direction. What will happen after five years - I would not get ahead of myself now," the Russian Foreign Minister added.
Agreements on Karabakh
Lavrov noted that Russia does not observe attempts to disrupt the agreements reached on Nagorno-Karabakh.
"So far, I don't see any signs that someone is trying to disrupt these agreements," the Russian Foreign Minister said.
Lavrov drew particular attention to the positive effect of the agreements reached on Nagorno-Karabakh. "I am sure that if we carry out everything we agreed on, everyone will win, everyone will win," he said. "I am convinced that the Armenian government understands its full measure of responsibility, it understands that it signed these agreements based on the interests of its people, and I am convinced that the integrity of this agreement will be preserved and it will be implemented," Lavrov said.
"At least, I see numerous political forces in Armenia that understand what is happening and draw correct conclusions from it," Lavrov stated.
Contacts with the Minsk group
Lavrov said that representatives of the United States and France would arrive in Moscow in the coming days to discuss the implementation of the agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh. According to him, Russia does not want to distance itself from its colleagues in the OSCE Minsk group - the Americans and the French.
"Moreover, we have invited them to Moscow, and they will appear here in the coming days to discuss in detail how they can contribute to the implementation of the agreements reached," Lavrov said, stressing that this primarily concerns the establishment of peaceful life in Karabakh and the coexistence of different ethnic and religious groups there, the revival of cultural and religious sites in the region, ensuring their safe functioning and respect for them. "The co-chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group], together with UN organizations such as UNESCO, can play a huge role here," the Minister said.
The Russian Foreign Minister did not agree with the opinion that the previous efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to promote a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh had no effect. According to him, each of these attempts did not work, but all of them "created a critical mass" that allowed "to translate this will of the international community, which was enshrined in numerous statements of the [Minsk Group] co-chairs, into the language of practical actions."
Lavrov noted that during the last contacts with the French and American sides, Russian representatives "felt something like resentment" due to the fact that Moscow did not tell them in detail about the progress of the negotiations on Karabakh. In this regard, the Russian Foreign Minister explained that the Russian side was working on a ceasefire in line with the positions set out by the Minsk group co-chairs. At the same time, the negotiations themselves, preceding the agreement of November 9, "went on for several days literally 24 hours a day, [there were] several telephone conversations a day," so after each conversation, it was simply physically impossible to "brief the American and French partners". "I am convinced that the explanations that we eventually gave were received correctly," Lavrov said.
"We suggested that the UN Security Council welcome the ceasefire agreements reached while emphasizing that they are in line with the initiatives put forward by the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs," the Foreign Minister said.
Visit of the head of the ICRC
According to Lavrov, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer will arrive in Moscow next week to discuss the organization's work in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"We spoke with representatives of the leadership of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva. We expect the President of the ICRC in Moscow next week, and we will talk about how the Red Cross can resume its work [in Karabakh] under the new conditions, primarily to assist in the exchange of bodies of the dead, the return of prisoners, hostages and other detained persons," Lavrov said. He noted that the Red Cross "has long had the mandate to work in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, including in Karabakh."
Also, according to Lavrov, Moscow has already started preliminary talks on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with representatives of UN agencies, for example, with the office of the High Commissioner for refugees.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS