Lavrov: Russia expects progress over Karabakh in 2019

Russia expects the peace talks over Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to yield a serious progress in 2019, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today, hailing also the Azerbaijani authorities’ recent statements expressing willingness to reach a final breakthrough.

At a press conference summing up his agency’s 2018 outcomes, Russia’s top diplomat also stressed the need of Moscow’s active support to the process "in its role as a mediator in the OSCE Minsk Group format," Tass.ru reports.  

“A new dialogue between the Russian, French and US co-chairs and the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is being planned for this month. Hence, I think we can really assist in the settlement of this conflict, which is being protracted in a way,” he said, agreeing that a final settlement could be easily achievable in case of a good will by the conflicting parties and the international mediators.

Acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Paris, France earlier today for a new round of talks initiated and attended by the co-chairs.