"Russia needs to take initiative in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution into its hands"

Now in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, it is exactly the stage where Russia needs to take the initiative into its hands in order to step-by-step bring the sides to a peace agreement, said the director of the Fourth Department of the CIS Countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry Andrei Kelin.

"Over the last period, President Medvedev has held six meetings, and others are planned. And the preparatory work of each of these meetings is headed personally by Foreign Minister Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, because he is the generator of ideas here," said Kaelin in an interview with Voice of Russia.

He said it deals with working out principles for a solution.

"The task is as follows. Madrid principles were prepared formerly. Since then, they have been quite modified. But we are exactly on this canvas, which at one time was suggested by the mediators from the Minsk Group, that is from Russia, France, U.S. They made the first set. And then, our leaders are trying to specify and work quite productively. This is a very laborious job. Indeed hours of joint meetings are conducted in order to gradually sharpen small formulations. But this work is undoubtedly needed. It must be done," he said.

Kalin said tension on the borders scares. "If this escalation does not stop, unpleasant options are very possible. Therefore, we are doing all to prevent them," he said.


/Trend/