Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, who arrived in Yerevan on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of Armenian-Russian diplomatic relations, held a news conference jointly with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian.

He noted that the sides placed emphasis on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Over the last two years, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has held about a dozen meetings with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, to promote the work being carried out by the OSCE MG co-chairs (Russia, US and France). Much has been done to find common ground with respect to the principles supposed to serve as a basis of a peace agreement. The work has not yet been completed. However, at their meeting in Sochi on January 23, the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents issued a statement expressing their willingness for further efforts to reach the agreement as soon as possible.

As OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, Russia is willing to do its best, considering the parties’ wishes, the Russian FM said.

With respect to the resolutions of the UN Security Council and Azerbaijan’s misrepresenting them, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian said that the main demand was an end to hostilities and a ceasefire agreement.

“Unfortunately, after each resolution, Azerbaijan intensified hostilities in defiance of the resolutions,” he said. Finally, after suffering a crushing defeat from the local forces (the term used in the resolutions) Azerbaijan had to ask Nagorno-Karabakh for a ceasefire agreement, Nalbandian said.
 
There was a period when a ceasefire agreement was the aim. Later, however, the sides launched a peace process. This is the reason why the co-chairing countries are not referring to the resolutions. They dealt with the ceasefire rather than with settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a process mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group.

Minister Nalbandian pointed out the Russian president’s tremendous efforts to bring the positions closer together. The negotiations recorded some progress, and the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents pointed the fact out in a relevant statement in Sochi.

With respect to the status quo, Azerbaijan interprets it in the context of return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.
“However, the co-chairs have repeatedly noted that all the principles and elements proposed as a basis for settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts were laid down as a single whole. None of them can be separated from the others,” Minister Nalbandian said.

If Azerbaijan were not really concerned with the status quo, it would have agreed to the OSCE MG co-chairs’ proposals. Azerbaijan has recently rejected at least four of the OSCE MG co-chairs’ proposals, Minister Nalbandian said.

The Russian FM stressed that Armenia and Azerbaijan are Russia’s neighbors, and Russia is not indifferent to Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

The OSCE MG co-chairs have never changed their position, he added.

With respect to Azerbaijan’s negative position on the OSCE MG co-chairs’ activities, Minister Lavrov said: “Officials positions are guidelines for us. The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents’ official position is incorporated in the joint statement by the two leaders and three co-chairs. It was approved by the Astana summit in December 2010. The statements, as well as the statements on the results of Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian presidential meetings, contain a high appraisal of the co-chairs’ efforts, including the efforts by President Dmitri Medvedev,” Minister Lavrov said.