Monsters and Critics.com
Feb 6 2010

Russia sees advances in talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia
Feb 6, 2010, 11:34 GMT

Munich – Talks to smooth relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan are
making progress, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday.

‘We are trying to help Armenians and Azerbaijanis to reach a common
approach,’ said Lavrov, speaking at the Munich Security Conference.
‘It’s obviously a very difficult issue, but things are moving.’

‘The understanding is growing and the number of issues that must be
tackled by the top leaders is reducing and we are trying to help.’

Tensions continue to simmer between the two nations almost two decades
after a war, which ended with Armenia occupying the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan continues to claim the territory, while
Armenia says its inhabitants are ethnic Armenians.

Lavrov said his goal is to dampen tensions across the entire Caucasus region.

‘All the peoples who used to live there for centuries and centuries
and centuries and would continue to live there should do so in peace
and cooperation, mixing freely.’

Building on that, he said Russia’s 2008 war with Georgia was to
protect inhabitants from attack by Georgian forces. The comment drew a
retort from Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze, who called
Russia’s actions an attack on democracy.

The war resulted in Russia granting de facto independence to the
breakaway Georgia regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. However,
Georgia and large part of the international community do not recognize
that independence.

Read more: /article_1531444.php/Russia-sees-advances-in-talks -between-Azerbaijan-and-Armenia#ixzz0enVTj9FN

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress