The UN Security Council resolutions were adopted during the military activities and first of all demanded cessation of all military hostilities and the beginning of  negotiations,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday at a videoconference roundtable with members of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund.

In the words of the Russian minister, the documents contained reference to the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, yet they also demanded end of the war. The minister next referred to key phases of the settlement process. “We have now the format of the negotiations with Armenian and Azerbaijani side involved along with the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the conflict. This format is useful,” Lavrov said at the question by an Azerbaijani media representative. 

The Russian diplomat also recalled the Madrid principles and other documents negotiated by Russia in 2010-2011 – the so-called Kazan document. “There is also a project that was disseminated last April during the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs attended by OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and those are are under active discussions,” added the minister.

“These documents envisage phased settlement of the conflict, assuming at the first stage the solution of the most pressing issues – leaving number of districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh region and unblocking transport, economic and other communications. I am confident that when we arrive at the decision of signing those documents that would be the most important step in the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions,” said Lavrov.