Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 24 /Trend/
The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the only conflict in the post-Soviet space, which can be settled now, believes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, ITAR-TASS reported.
"The only way - to negotiate, because alternative to negotiations do not exist. There's only a bad alternative - war," - said in an interview to AzTV, when asked about the ways and prospects of resolving the conflict.
"My answer is that over the past few years there have been done much in order to bring closer the positions of the parties. Prospects for an agreement, of course, exist" - said the head of the Russian state.
"In my opinion, this may be the only conflict in the post-Soviet space, which currently can be resolved. It all depends on the goodwill of the parties, on their ability and willingness to hear each other's arguments, and, frankly, there are no simple solutions" - Medvedev said.
"Agreement can be reached only on compromise basis. That is, each side must make their own way" - added the Russian president. "Russia will promote this further," - he said.
Medvedev said he had "talked about this with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev when he called to congratulate me with the election results."
Speaking about the prospects of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Russian president said that "devoted to it quite a lot of time, perhaps like no other."
Eight meetings in the trilateral format with the participation of Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders have passed only with his meditation over the past few years.
According to the Russian head of state, "it was great, good job, because we managed to bring closer the positions, it is absolutely exactly." "But it was possible with all sincerity to put aside those issues on which their position in the Nagorno-Karabakh problem apart, put honestly, openly, and to present all their arguments," - continued Medvedev, stressing that "this is also the mission of a mediator to participate in such negotiations. "
"Moreover, the Russian Federation together with other members of the Minsk Group has made much effort for this. Not long ago I talked about it with other members of the Minsk Group, and with President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy," - he said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.