Azerbaijan, Baku, July 20 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva /
Russia does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said at a press conference today, Russia 24 TV channel reported.
"We, as well as other world countries, do not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state," he added. "We do not think that the so-called "elections" may determine the future course of the peace process over Nagorno-Karabakh."
He added that Russia has been consistently standing for resolving the conflict on the basis of the UN Charter and the principles of the territorial integrity.
"We will continue working with the parties to the conflict on the basis of the provisions set forth in the statements of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents from 2009 to 2012," he added.
The so-called "presidential elections" took place in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan on July 19, 2012. No world country recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as independent and sovereign state.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 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.