12:00, 4 August 2023
YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Azerbaijan still have to find solutions around a number of difficult issues, a senior Russian foreign ministry official has said.
In an interview with TASS news agency, Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Fourth CIS Department Denis Gonchar said that the commitment of Armenia and Azerbaijan to swiftly achieve peace doesn’t mean that the two countries are ready to agree to any condition.
“We still have to find solutions around a number of difficult topics,” Gonchar said.
He added that the “protection of the security and universally recognized rights of the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh within the framework of Azerbaijan’s legislative framework” is one of the most important tasks.
“The sides decided the relevant logic after mutually confirming the effectiveness of the 1991 Almaty Declaration. We also need an international support mechanism for the implementation of the agreement that wouldn’t question the sovereignty and political independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Gonchar said, adding that Moscow is actively supporting the parties in preparing the peace treaty.
The Russian foreign ministry official also said that there’s been significant progress in the talks on coordinating the methods of transport connection unblocking between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In particular, the parties have a common understanding on the specific steps for restoring the Yeraskh-Julfa-Meghri-Horadiz railway, Gonchar said.
Russia seeks to ensure that all agreements on this topic are on an equal basis, he added.