Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wants a comprehensive document, “Basic settlement principles”, to be drafted for Nagorno-Karabakh, RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in an interview with Voice of Russia.

“Russia is assisting the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process as one of the three OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, as well as as a nation having especially friendly relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is personally dealing with the issue. He has held seven or eight meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents, making a most serious attempt to go deep into the still existing disagreements and resolve them,” Lavrov said.

The Russian President’s aim is the drafting the first-ever joint comprehensive document “Basic settlement principles” that would lay the foundations for preparation of a peaceful agreement as a final legally binding document. The sides reached an agreement on most of the principles, but some serious problems remain unsettled.

“We are working in close contact with the American and French Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. On the threshold of the Astana Summit they held meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. They were instructed to do their best to prepare a statement before the Astana Summit that might be signed by Baku, Yerevan and the co-chairs.  I hope for success. We have lately observed relative lull along the contact line. However, I cannot yet say that a real breakthrough can be made in the settlement process itself at the Astana Summit. This is very hard work. It requires the reconciliation of sides holding diametrically opposite views. This work is not to be in haste. If the Astana Summit facilitates progress, it will be a serious achievement,” Lavrov said.