Sergey Lavrov

“As far as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is concerned, it’s no longer something abstract and it’s not exclusively a matter of Azerbaijan’s internal affairs,” Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, stated at the news conference in response to the journalists’ question about Moscow’s stance in case of launch ‘of a counterterrorist operation in the occupied regions and their liberation from the occupant troops, and whether Moscow would turn a blind eye to it.’

Then Lavrov stressed that the UN Security Council’s requirement to liberate the occupied territories remained in force, ‘but it should, in no way, be done by force, especially when determining the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“Peaceful settlement of disputes is written down very explicitly. The bloody developments in April 2016 have raised deep concern. Russia played a decisive role in bringing the bloodshed to halt at that moment…,” said Lavrov.

In response to Lavrov’s statement, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov said:

“The April developments have once again proved that Russia, as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair and a neighboring state, should take more efforts for timely resolution of the conflict. I firmly believe that if Russia seriously addresses the issue, the status quo would be changed, stability in the region will be restored and the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied regions of Azerbaijan will be ensured.”