Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is on a visit to Azerbaijan to mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations. He made a speech at the MSU branch in Baku and discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Syria and Libya.
Lavrov said that one of the main reasons why the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not been resolved is the lack of trust. He emphasized that the conflict should be resolved by its sides.
The Russian minister said that, besides being a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia also made proposals 2-3 years ago. President Dmitry Medvedev proposed Azerbaijan and Armenia to start discussions. The minister stressed that a military solution is unacceptable.
Lavrov commented on Syria, He believes that the plan of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan would stop violence by all sides under efficient control mechanism and will allow humanitarian aid to be delivered. Annan’s plan was approved by the UN Security Council on March 21. Istanbul hosted the Friends of Syria Conference on April 1 to persuade opposition to reject dialogue.
The conference recognized the Syrian National Council as the only legitimate power and decided to form a working group to prepare sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Annan said that April 10 is the last date for realization of his plan.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud Al-Feisal said in late March that he supports Syrian armed opposition. Damascus accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of supporting militants infiltrating the state from abroad. Syria opposition will visit Moscow in the near future. Lavrov urged it to follow Annan’s plan.
Lavrov called statements of US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on missile defenses arrogant. The US official said that Washington will build the system it needs to protect allies and would not take any limitations.
