Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 28 / Trend, M.Aliyev /
There is a need to take nonstandard decisions in the South Caucasian region, which could push to resolve longstanding problems and bring them to a new level, the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) Deputy Director Pavel Grebennikov told journalists today.
"Sometimes we hear such opinions that preservation of the status quo in the region is to Russia's advantage. Russia is not interested in preserving the status quo, but it doesn't want to change radically the situation to please any country," Grebennikov said.
He believes that the process should progress in terms of agreement only between the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides. All other member countries of the OSCE Minsk Group should only contribute to the process.
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.
Grebennikov stressed that the presidents' meeting held on Wednesday in Astrakhan was another step towards mutual understanding in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.
Astrakhan hosted the trilateral meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia - Ilham Aliyev, Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sargsyan Oct.27. The ways of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were discussed there. The parties signed a declaration, which envisages the return of prisoners of war and takes a humanitarian nature.
Regarding the supposed meeting of heads of states at the upcoming OSCE in Astana summit scheduled for early December, Grebennikov said that its results can provide a guideline for further progress.