Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents committed to dialogue, Russian FM says

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan are committed to mutual dialogue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following the trilateral meeting held by the presidents of the three countries in Sochi today.

"The meeting was useful. The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan stressed their commitment to the principles voiced by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, according to which only a peaceful way out of the conflict is possible," Minister Lavrov said.

"The two presidents agreed to maintain dialogue and continue trilateral discussion involving the Russian Federation," the Russian minister said.

The minister also said that the parties are approaching a possible agreement. There are only a number of issues still to be settled, Lavrov said.

The Russian minister also underlined that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue will not prevent Armenia from joining the Eurasian Economic Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.