Aze rbaijan is Russia’s strategic partner: official
Russia, Moscow, March 11 /Trend News, R.Agayev/
Azerbaijan was and will always remain a key strategic partner for
Russia, Federation Council International Relations Committee Deputy
Chairman Vasiliy Likhachev said.
"No one can say that Russian-Azerbaijani relations have problems
keeping us apart," he said.
"Of course, sometimes technical issues arouse among friends. And I
think our political and parliamentary dialogue could be more
intensive," Likhachev said at a news conference in Moscow.
He added that Moscow and Baku must coordinate efforts to maximize
their economic potential.
"Russia supports the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,"
Likhachev said. "We must use specific methods based on a consensus
between the conflicting sides and international legal principles."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7
districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed
a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia,
France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.