Baku, Azerbaijan, July 17
Trend:
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow July 17, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
During the meeting, Lavrov expressed confidence that this visit will promote further development of the bilateral relations which are already at a high level.
Russia's foreign minister said that the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia continues successfully in many fields, including in the humanitarian sphere.
Days of Russian Culture will be organized during the International Humanitarian Forum to be held in Baku, according to Lavrov.
He said St. Petersburg will host an event on exploring oil and gas fields in the Artic, adding that Azerbaijan's energy minister has also been invited to this event.
Moreover, Lavrov said that an interregional forum will be organized as part of the intergovernmental economic commission in Yekaterinburg, while Sverdlovsk province will host an exhibition of military equipment and an Azerbaijani delegation is expected to participate there.
Mammadyarov for his part said that today's meeting has been held in accordance with the instruction of the Azerbaijani and Russian presidents.
The Azerbaijani foreign minister congratulated his Russian counterpart on the successful completion of the talks on Iran's nuclear program.
Noting that these talks will have a positive impact on the situation in the region, Mammadyarov stressed the necessity of withdrawing Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijan's occupied territories for ensuring full stability in the region.
Touching upon the talks on the peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the minister emphasized Russia's role as one of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Sergey Lavrov said that OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs carry out coherent work on this issue.
It is time to intensify the negotiations on the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said, RIA Novosti reported.
"There are grounds to presume that the time has come to intensify our efforts," said Lavrov.
Russia's foreign minister said that taking into account the common determination to achieving a result, "we can ensure this progress".
Mammadyarov for his part said the completed long-lasting talks on the Iranian nuclear program give hope that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can also be resolved.
"The settlement is taking a line towards a speedy breakthrough," said Mammadyarov.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by CN
