ArmInfo.Moscow is ready to promote steps that will create optimal conditions for constructive talks on the Karabakh settlement together with French and American colleagues and partners. On February 22 at a joint press conference with his Armenian colleague, said the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in response to a question about how intermediaries will implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreement which was rejected by Azerbaijan.
"The Co-Chairmen have no other instrument but the political and diplomatic means. We are ready together with our French and American partners to actively promote steps that will create optimal conditions for constructive negotiations, which will discharge clearly not the best emotional atmosphere that reigns around the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and the steps that would allow to consider the proposals for the settlement of the conflict by negotiating, which the Russian side promote and actively support with the French and American Co-Chairmen", he said.
In his turn, the Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian said that Baku violates the agreements reached in Vienna, St. Petersburg and Astrakhan. "Not only Astrakhan, there were two meetings in Sochi and signed declaration on the establishment, including incident investigation mechanism. We and the international community do not get used to it, but there is no alternative. We will work together with the Co-Chairmen to continue the efforts on mine settlement of the conflict in primarily on the creation of conditions for the continuation of the negotiation process", said the Minister.
According to him, Armenia has always complied with the agreements, including Astrakhan, concerning the handover of prisoners and mortal remains. "Recently We returned to the body of the Azerbaijani commandos, who killed three soldiers in the territory of Armenian", he said, noting that after the body handover, by a special presidential decree the saboteur was declared a national hero. "The wording is interesting: for the successful execution of the task. That is, given the task to carry out sabotage and thus called a hero", the minister said, noting that the Azerbaijani side has demanded the return of the body of a saboteur as a humanitarian gesture by the Armenian side. "It is strange to hear about the humanism of Azerbaijan", said Nalbandian, reminding about the torture of the lost Armenian shepherd Manvel Saribekyan and the case of the downed helicopter. "For many days Azerbaijanis kept under fire the area where the helicopter fell to prevent the evacuation of maybe still alive people", he said.
To recall, on June 20th, in St. Petersburg, under the mediation of Russian President Vladimir Putin a meeting of the heads of Armenia and Azerbaijan was held. Due to its results, the sides issued a joint statement in which, in particular, noted that the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia confirmed the Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements reached at the last summit in Vienna on May 16, which aimed at stabilizing the situation in the conflict zone and the creation of an atmosphere for advancing in the peace process. To this end, they agreed, to increase the number of international observers in the conflict zone, as well as to implement mechanisms of incidents investigation. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the investigation mechanisms at this stage of the settlement are not relevant and the matter may be investigated after the "withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh". In addition, he also stressed that the office of the OSCE chairman can be extended up to 12-13 people and more.