The settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is among the foreign policy priorities of Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told APA news agency of Azerbaijan. 

“It [i.e. Russia] is not indifferent to what is happening in the neighboring region,” noted Lavrov. “We are interested in the restoration of peace and tranquility there, opening of the borders, return of the refugees and resumption of trade and economic ties. That is why the Nagorno-Karabakh [conflict] settlement is among our unconditional foreign policy priorities. 

“I cannot agree that no steps were taken to settle the conflict. The Karabakh issue is constantly at the center of attention of international mediators that are regularly making joint and individual efforts aimed at solving this problem.

“As for Russia, for example, at the initiative of President Vladimir Putin, a tripartite summit dedicated to the issue was held last year in St. Petersburg. The Nagorno-Karabakh [conflict] settlement invariably takes an important place in the meetings of Putin with the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders. In particular, this issue was discussed during [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to Moscow on March 15. Moreover, substantive discussions were held with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in February and with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in early March.

“It should be taken into account that the issue of Karabakh [conflict] settlement is a very delicate subject, and therefore the details of the talks are confidential. At the same time, I can say that many aspects have already been agreed upon. There are some issues, the most complicated ones, left. No consensus has been achieved yet. Nevertheless, the work is underway.”