Russia makes active efforts to help settle Karabakh conflict: Deputy FM

PanARMENIAN.Net - As an OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing country, Russia is making active efforts to help the Nagorno Karabakh sides reach compromise, Vestnik Kavkaza quoted Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister as saying.

"In recent months we have witnessed escalation of conflict - heavy artillery, heavy machine guns, multiple-launch rocket systems were used, which further increased the number of casualties, including those among civilians," Grigory Karasin said.

Therefore, according to the Deputy Minister, the sides need to redouble their efforts to achieve sustainable peace. "The international mediators’ position was clearly expressed in the joint statement by Russia, the U.S. and France in early December 2015 at the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council," Karasin reminded.

"The parties must also respect existing agreements aimed at maintaining ceasefire," the deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

"We hope that the negotiations will have a stabilizing effect on the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the contact line between Nagrono Karabakh and Azerbaijan," he said.

"A series of consultations between [Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov and his colleagues from Azerbaijan and Armenia were held to address the conflict-related issues. I hope the talks will resume soon," Karasin said.

President Serzh Sargsyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev met on December 19 in Bern, Switzerland.

The Presidents’ private talks lasted a little more than an hour, the OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair James Warlick said in a tweet.

The heads of state agreed to continue negotiations in 2016.