Today Moscow held talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Russia, Sergei Lavrov and Edward Nalbandian, at which bilateral relations and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were discussed.
Moscow will continue to contribute to creation of conditions for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on a basis acceptable to all sides, Lavrov said after the meeting. "We exchanged assessments of the situation in Transcaucasia, including the Karabakh settlement," he said.
The Russian Foreign Minister also said that no one wants the Karabakh conflict moved to a hot phase. "We do not even allow ourselves to think that the conflict may enter a hot phase. I am convinced that, despite the rhetoric, no one from the interested parties wants this," he said.
"All actions are directed at finding a mutually acceptable solution as soon as possible," the head of the Foreign Ministry said.
"Consultations on this issue are held regularly, representatives of co-chairing countries often visit the region, including the capitals of Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the line of contact, the presidents of co-chairing countries pay personal attention to searching for ways of settlement," Lavrov noted, adding that "our president took special measures." They would allow the implementation of a process of ending the conflict that benefits no one, which would make Transcaucasia a region of cooperation without any blockades, sanctions or restrictions. "Everyone will benefit from this," the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Russia values historically, culturally and spiritually close ties with Armenia, Sergey Lavrov said.
"We have agreed to continue updating the contractual and legal framework. The intergovernmental commissions were working on trade, economic and military-technical cooperation, emphasizing a need to boost these efforts," he added.
Trade between Russia and Armenia develops fairly well, he said, noting that it exceeded 1.4 billion dollars last year and kept growing. "Cooperation develops well in the fuel-and-energy sector, in the sphere of investment and in the banking sector," TASS cited him as saying. He also spoke about Russia's plans for financial aid to extend the lifetime of the operating power unit of the Armenian nuclear power station.
According to Lavrov, there are a solid foundations for cooperation between the ministries in the sphere of foreign contacts. "Our negotiations confirmed the strategic nature of Russian-Armenian relations," the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia concluded.
