AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Nov 5 2009

Moscow ready to act as `guarantor’ of Garabagh settlement

05-11-2009 05:16:59
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigori Karasin has said Moscow is
ready to back a solution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict that would
suit all sides involved and act as a guarantor of a settlement if a
compromise is reached.
`A solution of the problem that will allow bringing back stability and
tranquility in the trans-Caucasia region will be viable,’ Karasin told
Respublika Armenia newspaper.
`Such a solution should help to maintain the historically-shaped
geo-political balance of forces in the region in the post-conflict
period, without simultaneously turning this region into a stage of
international political and military rivalry,’ said Karasin.
The deputy minister reminded that Russia has been actively involved in
brokering a settlement to the Garabagh conflict since peace talks
began.
`Currently, Russia is fulfilling these duties on a multilateral basis,
acting, along with the U.S. and France, as a co-chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group, the main international forum for seeking a political
solution to the Garabagh settlement,’ Karasin said, adding that
Moscow’s mediating efforts are also being made through bilateral
discussions in Baku and Yerevan.
He said that it is not by mere chance that Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev, hosting his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Moscow
on October 12, regarded Russia’s involvement in the process of
Garabagh settlement as `a very important dimension of our relations.’
`We see our role in assisting the process of settling the Upper
Garabagh conflict, the sides’ seeking mutually acceptable upshots on
key issues, but [doing so] without imposing any external recipes on
the parties to the conflict,’ Karasin said, adding that the brunt of
responsibility for making a final choice rests with Azeris and
Armenians proper.
According to Karasin, the parties have achieved certain progress in
agreeing upon the basic principles of the conflict settlement, and
Moscow is ready to continue doing everything in its power to move this
process forward.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the
signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper
Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of
international law. Peace talks have not yet resulted in resolving the
conflict.
Touching upon Turkey-Armenia relations, the Russian deputy minister
said no aspect of the recently-reached bilateral agreement could be
interpreted as hurting the interests of a third party. He noted that
Ankara and Yerevan’s signing protocols on mending ties last month
indicates the two countries’ decisiveness to establish good
neighborliness ties.
Karasin added that Moscow was ready to support the Turkish-Armenian
rapprochement by implementing economic projects in the future, in
particular, those in the energy and transport sectors.
Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ally, and Armenia signed protocols to establish
diplomatic relations and reopen their borders in Zurich on October 10,
after decades of hostility. The move has raised concerns in
Azerbaijan.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress