TODAY.AZ / Politics

Russia backs soonest resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

26 May 2015 [13:07] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was high on the agenda during Azerbaijani foreign policy head’s Moscow visit.

Elmar Mammadyarov spoke about the current status of the negotiations towards the resolution of the long-lasting conflict during his meeting with Sergey Naryshkin, the chairman of the Russian State Duma on May 25.

Briefing about the current status of negotiations, Mammadyarov stressed that the settlement of conflict is already ripe, AzerTac news agency reported.

Noting that for the conflict resolution the Armenian armed forces should withdraw from Azerbaijan’s occupied territories, he underlined that the current status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable.

Mammadyarov further added that the Armenian leadership should abandon its destructive policy and demonstrate political will in view of restoring peace and stability in the region.

Naryshkin, for his part, said Russia is interested in the soonest resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since, a war in the early 1990s saw Armenian armed forces occupy 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far. Armenia has not yet implemented any of the four U.N. Security Council resolutions provisioning on its pullout from Azerbaijan territories.

Furthermore, Mammadyarov expressed his satisfaction with the steady development of inter-parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.

He pointed out that the upcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the opening ceremony of the First European Games to be held in June in Baku is highly appreciated.

Naryshkin emphasized that close ties between the legislative bodies of the two countries serve for the strengthening of cooperation and friendship.

Conveying his congratulations with regards to holding of the First European Games in Azerbaijan, Naryshkin expressed confidence that the Games would be held at the highest level.

The Russian official also added that there are no problems in the bilateral relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, noting that cooperation is at a very high level.

Naryshkin also thanked his Azerbaijani colleagues for their active participation in organizing the events dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. He said this victory is important not only for Azerbaijan, Russia and the CIS countries, but for all mankind.

The sides also exchanged views on bilateral cooperation and issues of regional and international importance.

Azerbaijan and Russia established diplomatic relations on April 4, 1992.

Russia is the main trade partner of Azerbaijan in the CIS. It also ranks first among the countries importing from Azerbaijan.

Currently, there are 570 companies with Russian capital in Azerbaijan. Russia has recently invested $628.4 million in Azerbaijan's fixed capital. But Azerbaijan's investment in the Russian economy for 10 years amounted to nearly $1 billion.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/140996.html

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