It is only possible to change the format of talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the consent of both opposing sides – Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Thomas Greminger on Friday.

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. It is only possible to change the format of talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the consent of both opposing sides – Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Thomas Greminger on Friday.

Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said earlier that resolving the conflict required the participation of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiation process.

"It is up to the parties to the conflict to make a decision on that," Lavrov stressed. "We believe that Yerevan takes Karabakh’s approaches into consideration while determining its negotiating positions. However, both parties should give their consent to changes in the current bilateral format. As far as we know, no agreements have been reached on that so far," the Russian top diplomat said.

"Frankly speaking, I would refrain from putting forward preconditions for substantive talks on ways to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," Lavrov added.

He pointed out that Moscow welcomed the agreement reached by Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at their meeting on the sidelines of the September CIS summit in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe. "The agreement they made emphasizes the need to maintain contacts and says that foreign ministers will continue to hold meetings, while Armenia and Azerbaijan will also cooperate with the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs [Russia, the United States and France – TASS]. We welcome this agreement though we realize that serious talks on ways out of the crisis are unlikely to take place until the rather turbulent political processes come to an end in Armenia," Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister added that the Minsk Group’s co-chairs continued to make visits to the region and hold meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities. "It is important to maintain such contacts so that we are ready to seriously tackle the issue as soon as the situation allows," he noted.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh (or Mountainous Karabakh) is a mostly Armenian-populated enclave inside Azerbaijan’s territory. It is a self-proclaimed independent republic, not recognized by any of the United Nations member states.

In 1988, hostilities broke out there between the forces reporting to the Baku government and Armenian residents. In 1994, a ceasefire was reached but relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia has remained strained ever since.

Azerbaijan insists that its territorial integrity be restored and refugees return to Nagorno-Karabakh, which will create conditions for talks on the region’s status. Baku is ready to grant autonomy to the region but is unwilling to hold direct talks with Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, Armenia strongly opposes the region’s reunification with Azerbaijan and says that its right to self-determination should be considered.

Russia, France and the United States co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, which seeks to broker an end to the conflict. The Group also includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Turkey.