The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Russia and
Azerbaijan have no mutual territorial claims, RIA Novosti reports,
citing the ministry's Department of Information and Press.
The border between the two countries runs through the Caspian Sea and
land, spokesman of the ministry Alexander Lukashevich said, commenting
on the recent reports on protests at a border region.
He said that the two countries have an agreement on state border,
signed by the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan in Baku on September
3, 2010. It corresponds to the former administrative border of the
Dagestani Soviet Republic and the Azerbaijani.
Concerning the problems in the two Russian villages in Azerbaijan, the
diplomat said that Moscow, Makhachkala and Baku are aware of the
issue. The problem refers to the old period, when people in the Soviet
Union had no expectations that the country would split.
Lukashevich said that authors of the reports on the protests at
Khrakh-Uba and Uryan-Uba villages on February 8 have informal
reference to facts.
The materials the Russian Foreign Ministry has say that Dagestan and
Azerbaijan had mutual exchanges of small territories for short-term
agricultural management. Dagestan was using Azerbaijani lands as
winter pastures. This resulted in foundation of the two villages. The
territorial exchange agreement signed in 1954 expired in 2004. No
other related documents were found.
The ministry is working on the problem with the villages. Protests
will not help solve the issue. The work requires an individual
approach to every single inhabitant and family in the villages, the
ministry says.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Russian
diplomacy is in close contact with the Azerbaijani side and the
villages. Inter-ministry meetings have been held in Baku recently.
Azerbaijan assured that it will assist in solving the problem. The
Russian ambassador in Baku and Azerbaijani migration services will
soon visit Khrakh-Uba and Uryan-Uba.
