RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN EXPLAINS HIS CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENT REGARDING ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS AND KARABAKH PROCESS
ArmInfo
2009-11-20 14:17:00
ArmInfo. Andrey Nesterenko, the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, has
commented on his contradictory statement made earlier on November 17.
To recall, Nesterenko declared the following then: "As far as we know,
the issues of Nagorno Karabakh were also raised during the negotiation
process between Yerevan and Ankara." This statement aroused, to put
it softly, controversial response by Armenian Mass Media considering
the quite contrary statements repeatedly made by the Russian party
before, including by OSCE MG Russian Co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov. Foreign
Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian also commented on the statement
by A. Nesterenko.
The new statement placed on the official website of the Russian Foreign
Ministry says: "Moscow has responded to the mess in the Armenian Mass
Media around the statement voiced by the official representative of
the Russian Foreign Ministry on November 17 2009.
The Armenian media report that Moscow has allegedly changed its
stance and began linking the Karabakh process and the Armenian-
Turkish rapprochement. This is misunderstanding. Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly voiced Russia’s viewpoint. It has been
left unchanged. These are two different processes.
We take a positive view of the bilateral documents signed by Armenia
and Turkey, which define the further actions by the parties on
comprehensive normalization of state relations. We are convinced
that establishment of good-neighbored ties between Armenia and Turkey
will promote further steps bolstering peace and security in the South
Caucasus region.
As regards the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the parties have managed
to achieve certain progress in coordination of the basic principles
of settlement despite the existing discrepancies. We see our role in
contributing to this process and helping the parties find mutually
acceptable decisions on the key problems, but never enforcing any
recipes on the parties to the conflict. We proceed from the fact that
the final choice much be made by Azerbaijanis and Armenians. Russia
will be ready to support any settlement scheme meeting the interests
of the parties involved and will become the guarantor of settlement
in case the parties come to a concession. Actually, a viable decision
will allow bringing stability and peace to the South Caucasus and help
maintaining the historical geopolitical balance of forces there in
the post- conflict period and will not turn the region into a stage
of international political and military rivalry."