RUSSIA CONCERNED OVER TURKEY’S MOVES TO TAKE THE LEAD IN KARABAGH REGULATION
MOSCOW, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS: Russia’s foreign ministry denounced
Tuesday Turkey’s efforts to seek a greater involvement in the process
of regulationof the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. In a statement,
circulated by Russian mass media, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
accused Turkey of trying to bypass Moscow in an effort to assume the
leading role in mediating a peace deal between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Saying that Russia is able to become the guarantor of a
mutually acceptable peace formula, the Russian minister reminded that
Moscow is Armenia’s chief military ally.
Citing Russian mass media, a Baku-based 525 Gazet daily says
Lavrov’s statement “perplexed Turkish political analysts and NATO
members.” It says the Kremlin is seriously concerned with Armenia’s
moves towards rapprochement with NATO and especially with Armenian
officers’ participation in a NATO planning conference in Azerbaijan’s
capital last month.
According to a Russian newspaper Noviye Izvestia, Lavrov’s
statement can be perceived in Azerbaijan as “a call for war.”