Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Armenian foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan reviewed the implementation of trilateral agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh in a telephone conversation on Friday.
"Special attention was paid to the problems of regional stability and security, first of all - the implementation of the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia of November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The sides also pointed to the need to resolve humanitarian issues in Nagorno-Karabakh. "The ministers expressed a common view that the unblocking of transport and economic communications in the South Caucasus, the promotion of confidence-building measures and the build-up of mutually beneficial cooperation between neighbors will contribute to further normalization of the situation in the region," the diplomatic office stressed. - "They emphasized the importance of the consistent resolution of pressing humanitarian issues, especially the return of detainees, the transfer of maps of minefields and the preservation of cultural heritage".
In addition, the foreign ministers of Russia and Armenia discussed current issues of the bilateral agenda, including in the context of their forthcoming high-level contacts. "It was agreed to increase interdepartmental ties and to work towards holding the 20th session of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation and the 8th interregional forum by the end of 2021," the Russian foreign ministry added.
As noted in Smolensk Square, the ministers also discussed cooperation between Moscow and Yerevan on international platforms and within integration associations. The ministers discussed cooperation within common integration associations, including Armenia's chairmanship in the CSTO, as well as coordination of steps at international platforms, including the UN and the OSCE," the russian foreign ministry said. - "The Russian side expressed its satisfaction with the results of the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs in the margins of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York".
On September 27, 2020, the situation in the conflict zone around Nagorno-Karabakh escalated and active battles broke out in the disputed territory. On November 9, Russian president Vladimir Putin, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev signed a joint statement on the complete cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone. According to the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the occupied positions, a number of areas came under Baku's control, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the line of contact and the Lachin corridor.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS