Austrian President: it is necessary to find way to lift anti-Russian sanctions

EU sanctions against Russia are not beneficial either side, it is necessary to find a way that would lead to the removal of most of these restrictive measures, Austrian President Heinz Fischer said at a meeting with the speaker of the Russian State Duma, Sergei Naryshkin.

"I always say that sanctions are not beneficial for either side," he said.

"But we are taking an active part in discussions on this issue inside the EU and our position is that it is necessary to consider the opportunity to develop cooperation between Russia and the EU," Interfax cited Fischer as saying.

According to the President of Austria, it is necessary to find such a "common way for all of us, to develop it, which would result in the speedy removal of most of the sanctions."

Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US, are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.