The basic principles developed by the OSCE Minsk Group and agreed with the parties underlie the trilateral agreement reached on November 9. This is what Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ara Aivazian in Moscow.

“Over the past years, the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have developed the basic principles for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and agreed on them with the parties to the conflict. These principles served as a foundation for the agreement reached in the statement adopted by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9. I’m referring to the transfer of 7 districts to Azerbaijan, the deployment of peacekeepers to ensure security in the region, the creation of the Lachin corridor between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and the de-blockage of transport and economic ties," Lavrov said, adding that the representatives of the humanitarian response center and peacekeepers are actively cooperating with the local population.

According to Lavrov, the UN Secretary-General is preparing an assessment mission that will comprise representatives of specialized and special institutions and UN programs who will visit Nagorno-Karabakh in mid-December. “Moscow wants these institutions to focus on providing assistance to the restoration of infrastructures and housing and the solution to humanitarian issues,” he said.