Andrey Nesterenko, official representative of the RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made a new comment on “the combination of the Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia-Turkey normalization processes.” NEWS.am reminds readers that at a November 17 press briefing, Nesterenko made the following statement: “As far as we know issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh were raised during the Yerevan-Ankara negotiations. This range of issue must be considered in this process. Let us hope that all the issues will be settled in conformity with the decisions made by international organizations and meet the interests of all the nations of the region.”

NEWS.am sent the following inquiry to the Press and Information Department, RF Foreign Office: “At a November 17 press briefing, the official representative of the RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andrey Nesterenko stated Armenia and Turkey are discussing the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Does it mean that the OSCE Minsk Group has been enlarged or has stopped working? What is official Moscow’s attitude to Turkey’s involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process?”

Speaking at the RA Parliament on November 18, RA Foreign Minister Nalbandyan refuted any linkage between the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and Armenia-Turkey normalization. “We, OSCE MG Co-Chairs as well as the leaders of the world powers repeatedly stated that these are two different processes. And if certain country representatives periodically make statements on the interconnection of the issues, then it’s a misunderstanding, but not the official position of these states,” the Minister said. He also said that Russia should be expected to make new statements confirming the absence of any linkage between the Armenia-Turkey normalization and the Nagorno-Karabakh peace processes.

The “new statement” was made quite soon. It particularly reads:

“Moscow has noticed that some Armenian media outlets raised an alarm about the statements made by the official representative of the RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 17, 2009. Official Moscow is claimed to have changed its stance and be linking the Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenia-Turkey normalization processes. It was a misunderstanding. RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly explained Russia’s position. It has remained unchanged: two different processes are in question.

”We welcome the Armenian-Turkish document, which determine the sides’ further actions to progress to comprehensive normalization of bilateral relations.

“We are sure that the establishment of good neighborly relations between Armenia and Turkey will facilitate to further steps to strengthen peace and stability in the Transcaucasus.

”As regards the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, despite unsettled disagreements, the sides have succeeded in agreeing on the fundamental settlement principles.

“We see our role in contributing to this process and the sides’ finding mutually acceptable solutions to key problems, without, however, imposing any formulas on the conflicting parties. We admit the fact that it is the Armenians and Azerbaijanis that bear the main responsibility for their final choice. Russia is ready to support the solution to the problem that will be acceptable to all the parties involved and act as guarantor for settlement if any compromise is achieved. It is clear that a viable solution is one that would restore peace and stability in the Transcaucasus and, in the post-conflict period, maintain the geopolitical balance of forces there, preventing the region from becoming an arena for international politico-military competition.”