Moscow is interested in quickly resolving humanitarian issues in Nagorno-Karabakh, and a number of steps have been planned in this direction with Yerevan. This was stated on Monday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan.
"We are satisfied that the truce has actually been observed on the ground for almost a month, and the return of refugees is underway. There is progress in the exchange of bodies of the dead, prisoners, in the search for the missing. Although, as we have already noted today, we are interested in resolving these acute humanitarian issues as soon as possible. And today we have outlined a number of steps in this direction, " he said.
Moscow offers to involve other States, in particular Armenia and Azerbaijan, in the work of the humanitarian response center for Nagorno-Karabakh. This was stated on Monday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after talks with Armenian foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan.
"We also discussed issues related to the creation of a humanitarian response center. This is an initiative of President [of the Russian Federation Vladimir] Putin. We proposed to make this center international, with the participation of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Practical issues of such an initiative are currently being discussed, and many Russian ministries and departments will participate in its implementation," the Minister said.
"The process is now becoming stable, people are beginning to get more confidence in what is happening, and we will strengthen these sentiments in every possible way. This will be facilitated by the ongoing negotiations on turning the humanitarian response center into an international one with the participation of both Armenia and Azerbaijan. The relevant documents are currently being discussed by the relevant structures, " he added.
According to him, the measures stipulated in the trilateral statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement are beginning to be implemented as effectively as possible. Lavrov drew attention to the work of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, who agreed on the basic principles of the settlement, which formed the basis of the November 9 statement. "I am referring to the transfer of five and two districts to Azerbaijan, the deployment of peacekeepers to ensure security in the region, the creation of the Lachin corridor between Karabakh and Armenia, and the unblocking of all transport and economic ties and communications," the Minister explained. "All this is fixed in the statement, all this is being implemented as efficiently as possible."
Moscow will welcome any steps by Baku and Yerevan aimed at resolving the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, but they should determine the terms of contacts at the highest level themselves, Lavrov said. According to him, the key to a sustainable Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is "to establish a life in this region that would meet the interests of all national and ethnic groups." "We will welcome any steps that the parties are ready to take in this direction, and we will encourage them to do so," Lavrov said. - You mentioned possible contacts at the highest level. Of course, it is up to our Azerbaijani and Armenian colleagues to decide when this may happen."
The UN assessment mission on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which will include representatives of specialized agencies and programs of the world organization, will leave for the region in mid-December, Lavrov said.
"The International Committee of the Red Cross has been working there [in Karabakh] for a long time, but the UN organizations, although they are present in Armenia and Azerbaijan, were not in Karabakh. Now UN Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres] is preparing an assessment mission, which will include the relevant specialized agencies and programmes of the UN system, I expect they are somewhere in the middle of December to send her there. We would like these missions to focus as specifically as possible on providing specific substantive assistance in all those areas that are currently most relevant and most acute for those who now live in Karabakh," Lavrov said.
The Russian Foreign Minister pointed out that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (Russia, the United States, France) should pay special attention to the preservation of the Karabakh cultural and religious heritage. According to him, it is planned to allocate additional resources to UNESCO, and the organization will also send its observation mission to the region. "The preservation and protection of cultural heritage and religious sites is of particular importance. I think that France, as the host country of the UNESCO headquarters, can play a special role here. I think that the American side can also actively contribute here, " the Minister concluded.
Lavrov accepted the invitation of his Armenian counterpart to visit Yerevan. "Ara Genrievich kindly invited me to visit Yerevan once again. I'd love to come. We will agree on the terms additionally, " Lavrov said after the talks with Ayvazyan. The Russian Foreign Minister stated that today's meeting with his Armenian counterpart was full-fledged and very useful. The previous time, Lavrov visited Yerevan on November 21 as part of the Russian interagency delegation's trip to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS