The issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh must still be agreed upon with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Russia, USA, France), but now it is worth focusing on the return to peaceful life, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the Primakov Readings forum.
“I understand that now many are talking about the fact that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains unresolved. This has to be finally agreed with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, who at this stage, probably, should not raise the status problem, but contribute to strengthen confidence-building measures, solve humanitarian issues, so that Armenians and Azerbaijanis begin to live together in security and economic prosperity. And then, I assure you, in a couple of years, all status-related issues will be solved much easier,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
He pointed out that statements from the capitals of the countries participating in the conflict and neighboring states are often driven by emotions. “We call on all those involved in this situation to help calm down and establish a normal life for those on the ground,” Lavrov stressed. He added that Russia is actively involved in the efforts through peacekeepers and the Emergencies Ministry.
The Minister also noted that the activities of the trilateral working group on unblocking regional communications are also committed to this task. “The effectiveness of the activities of the trilateral working group will be determined primarily by the extent to which this unblocking will directly help improve people’s lives,” Lavrov said. “In these trilateral discussions, both the interests of Turkey and the interests of Iran are unambiguously taken into account, otherwise all this unblocking will not have maximum effect.”
