Interfax, Russia
Nov 21 2009
Russia won’t impose settlement guidelines on sides in Karabakh
conflict -ministry
MOSCOW Nov 20
Armenia and Azerbaijan have taken positive steps toward settling the
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Andrei Nesterenko said in a commentary.
"As far as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is concerned, despite
continuing disagreements, the parties have managed to make certain
progress in their negotiations on the basic principles of its
settlement," Nesterenko said.
The authorities in Moscow believe that Russia should not "impose any
guidelines on the sides in the conflict from the outside, but it
should contribute to the settlement process and help the sides look
for mutually acceptable solutions to key issues," the ministry
spokesman said.
"Our position is that the Azeri and Armenian people themselves are
mainly responsible for making a final choice. Russia will be ready to
support a solution to the problem that would suit all parties
involved, as well as to act as settlement guarantor, if a compromise
agreement is achieved," he said.
Some media companies in Armenia "have stirred up a frenzy over the
remarks made by the official spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of
Russia on November 17," Nesterenko said.
"They claim that Moscow has changed its position and now links the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process to the normalization of Armenian-
Turkish relations. It is a misunderstanding," the spokesman said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has clarified his country’s
stance on this issue on many occasions, he added.
"This position remains the same. These are two separate processes,"
Nesterenko said.
"We are confident that the establishment of good neighborly ties
between Armenia and Turkey should objectively contribute to further
steps aimed at strengthening peace and security in Transcaucasia," he
said.
From: Baghdasarian