RUSSIAN MP COMMENTS ON IDEA OF SENDING PEACEKEEPERS INTO NAGORNYY KARABAKH

Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow
31 May 06

[Presenter] A peacekeeping contingent may be introduced to Nagornyy
Karabakh, the area of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. In any case
this was not excluded today in Baku by Russian Defence Minister Sergey
Ivanov. He recalled that a fragile truce had already been continuing
in that zone for more than 12 years. [Passage omitted]

The introduction of a peacekeeping contingent to Nagornyy Karabakh
is possible if Armenia and Azerbaijan ask Russia about this. That’s
the view of Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the [State] Duma
Committee on International Affairs.

[Kosachev] The situation in Nagornyy Karabakh remains very complex.

In the context of a settlement in [Nagornyy] Karabakh, Russia is not
pursuing any kind of aims of its own. We are ready to support any
compromise and any solution that would suit both the Azerbaijani and
the Armenian sides and we promote a direct dialogue between Armenia
and Azerbaijan on Nagornyy Karabakh in every way – if there is a
mutual need and a mutual agreement of the sides.

[Presenter] Kosachev again stressed that you can introduce a contingent
into the disputed region only under the condition that there is a joint
appeal to Russia from Baku and Yerevan. For his part, Sergey Ivanov did
not specify when peacekeeping forces might appear in Nagornyy Karabakh
and what their composition might be. At 1535 [Moscow time, 1135 gmt] we
will be discussing this subject on the phone in the daytime programme
“Razvorot” [“Development”] with the first president of Azerbaijan,
Ayaz Mutalibov.