The Czech Republic, Prague, May 7 / Trend , M.Hulpachova/
Russia does not plan to recognize independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent region, OSCE Minsk Group Russian Co-Chair Yuriy Merzlyakov said after the meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Prague on May 7.
"It is not excluded that the presidents of mediator-countries will participate in the next round of peace negotiations," Merzlyakov said.
The Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents who were invited the EU "Eastern Partnership" summit in Prague on May 7 met at the US Embassy and discussed settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Today's high-level meeting was the fourth one between Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan on the Karabakh settlement. The previous meeting took place in Zurich on Jan. 28 in 2009. The first meeting was held in St Petersburg in June 2008 and second - in Moscow in late November 2008.
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.