Trend, Azerbaijan
July 18 2009

Meeting of Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian presidents held
constructive: Russian President’s assistant

The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had constructive
meeting in Moscow, the Russian President’s assistant Sergey Prihodko
said, RIA Novosti said.

Leaders attended the races for the Russian President’s prize at the
central Moscow race track on July 18 in the morning. Later they
continued trilateral talks on one of Moscow restaurants.

"During the fourth today’s meeting of the Russian, the Azerbaijani and
the Armenian presidents, Dmitry Medvedev confirmed readiness of Russia
as co-chairman of Minsk Group (OSCE) to make efforts to find mutually
acceptable ways to settle Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Prihodko said.

Leaders of three countries discussed further ways to solve
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"According to the Russian side, long and very constructive meeting has
been held. Several issues remained open were also discussed during the
meeting," Prihodko said.

"The Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude to Dmitry Medvedev for his efforts
to make Armenian and Azerbaijani positions closer and promote
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement," the Russian President’s assistant said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7
districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed
a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia,
France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.