Russia to support compromise decision on Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia and Azerbaijan's views on the situation in the South Caucasus and ways to guaranteeing peace and stability in the region were fixed in the declaration on friendship, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.



"Our countries have concerns about existing obstacles preventing regional governments from developing steadily. Firstly, this relates to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Russia's position has been expressed repeatedly, including by President Dmitry Medvedev. I believe it is well known. Again, I repeat that we protest foreign intervention. The primary responsibility to resolve the issue falls on Azerbaijanis and Armenians. Russia is prepared to support a compromise agreement to satisfy all parties. A viable solution is one that will return stability to the South Caucasus," he said.



Commenting on the declaration signed on Nov. 2, 2008 by Medvedev, Aliyev and Sargsyan and how it can contribute to resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Minister Lavrov said, "I must say this document has great significance as the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders unambiguously confirmed their intention and readiness to continue bilateral talks to resolve the conflict."



"It is no accident that the results of the trilateral meeting received support at the session of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in Helsinki in December 2008. Moreover, the three OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen - Russia, the U.S. and France - later made complementary proposals," he said.



"The fact that the presidents' last meeting took place recently in Zurich less than three months after the signing of the Moscow declaration testifies to the document's ability to resolve the conflict," the Russian Minister concluded.