YEREVAN. – Unfortunately, the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have gone away from each other, at present.

Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov, who is the former Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, told the aforesaid to reporters, and within the framework of the 3rd International Forum of the Graduates of Moscow State Institute of International Relations, which kicked off Friday in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan.

Kazimirov said he recently took a look at his old records from the 1990s, including his talks with the senior officials of the three conflicting parties—Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan.

“I particularly revealed interesting entries that were made from a conversation with [former Azerbaijan President, the late] Heydar Aliyev,” he noted. “Once he had said that the conflict should be resolved exclusively by peaceful means. It seems like nothing special, but how opposite this is to Baku’s current policy.”

The OSCE Minsk Group former co-chair is concerned with the issue on whether these directives by Azerbaijan’s former leader are consistent with the current policy of this country.

“I believe that the answer is obvious to everyone: Of course not,” Vladimir Kazimirov added. “So long as it is not clearly specified that the conflict will be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, it’s impossible to place hopes on a more or less substantial progress in this process.”