Details were added after the first paragraph
Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 13 / Trend A. Gasimova /
Russia will try to move forward in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict this year more than the previous one backed by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a press conference in Moscow, the Russia-24 TV channel reported.
"Besides participating in the "troika," Russia in the face of President Medvedev uses its relations with Baku and Yerevan to try to solve the problems in the format of the presidents of three countries," the minister said.
He said that Medvedev held more than ten meetings with colleagues from Baku and Yerevan.
The foreign ministers of these countries also negotiate. The next meeting will be held soon.
"We strive to find solutions to the two or three issues. Though there are few problems compared to the already agreed ones, but they are the most difficult ones," Lavrov said.
"The most important thing at this stage is not to interfere with this process, because as soon as the podiums of such organizations as the UN and the OSCE are involved, the question transfers from the business discussion to the sphere of polemics. It does not promote the rapprochement of positions, but only provokes the aggravation of approaches and antagonism between the parties. So far one managed to overcome these syndromes mostly by the efforts of our president, who created the atmosphere for the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to find solutions. We will continue our efforts," Lavrov added.
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 United States - 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.