Russia holds neutral position in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: FM

Russia holds an absolute neutral position in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and is ready to support any resolution of the problem which will be accepted by both sides - Baku and Yerevan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said when answering a question of readers of the "Rossiyskaya gazeta".

"Russia has never hold a unilaterally oriented position in settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," Lavrov said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

"We participate in settling this issue under cooperation with international community and OSCE Minsk Group. Therefore, it is incorrect to speak about "change" in Russia's participation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement," Lavrov said.

/Trend News/