Lavrov sees “certain progress” in Karabakh settlementJanuary 17, 2020 - 18:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sees “certain progress” in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Lavrov gave a press conference on the Russian diplomacy in 2019, and some questions including the one about Karabakh were answered in an emailed statement afterwards. “There are advances in the implementation of the "small steps", which the Foreign Ministers agreed upon at a meeting in Moscow in April 2019 following the agreements reached between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia in Vienna in March 2019. The situation on the border and the line of contact remains relatively calm. A hotline is working between Yerevan and Baku,” the statement said on Friday, January 17. “We believe that all this testifies to the intention of the sides to take concrete steps aimed at preparing the populations for peace." However, so far no progress has been made on the issues of settlement, "the foreign ministry added, expressing hope for a resumption of substantive conversation between the countries. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Mammadyarov told reporters on Friday, January 17 he will be meeting his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan by the end of January. The Armenian side, however, neither confirmed nor denied the meeting. The Foreign Ministry said they notify about each meeting only after all the details have been agreed with the OSCE Minsk Group. The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. The United States believes there should be an international mission to provide transparency. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |