Baku, Azerbaijan, April 9
Trend:
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict sides in order to advance in negotiations need to give up their distrust of each other while using the achievements of the Kazan summit of 2011, said Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, according to RIA Novosti.
"The most important thing is to move away from distrust, which is still sometimes manifested during talks, and concentrate on realistic, pragmatic ideas that are available," Lavrov said in an interview with Armenian TV channels.
Lavrov noted that preparation for the Kazan summit in 2011 was intensive, including the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ preparations.
“But during the summit there were additional questions and comments. It happens. We do not make a tragedy out of this. The work will be continued. I am sure that much of what is contained in the so-called Kazan document is still demanded," Lavrov stressed.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.