Monday, December 7 2020 16:31

ArmInfo.We are unanimous in that the signing on November 9 of a statement by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia creates all the necessary conditions  for a long-term settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on a fair  basis, in the interests of the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples, in  the interests of stabilizing the situation in the South Caucasus.  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this on December 7 at a  press conference following talks with his Armenian counterpart Ara  Ayvazyan.

"We are satisfied that the truce has been actually observed on the  ground for almost a month now. The return of refugees is underway,  there is progress in the exchange of bodies of the dead and prisoners  of war, in the search for the missing. We are interested in that  these acute humanitarian issues are resolved as soon as possible, and  today a number of issues in this direction have been outlined,  "Lavrov said, expressing gratitude to the Armenian side for its  appreciation of the efforts of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.   At the same time, the Russian minister stressed that in addition to  solving humanitarian issues, the tasks of restoring infrastructure,  housing stock, establishing a normal life, health care, and  unblocking transport corridors, unblocking all economic ties in this  region, as provided in a joint statement from November 9.  And which,  according to the Russian minister, should play its positive role in  revitalizing economic activity and improving everyday, normal life.

According to Lavrov, the issue of establishing a joint humanitarian  center was discussed. "We proposed to make the center international,  with the participation of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now practical  issues of such an initiative are being discussed. We also exchanged  views on the involvement of relevant international organizations in  the post-conflict rehabilitation of the region. The International  Committee of the Red Cross has been operating in the region since the  mid-90s, which will expand its presence there," he said, adding that  a number of UN bodies are showing interest, including UNDP, UNICEF  and UNESCO, which is interested in preserving the world cultural  heritage, which fully meets the interests of Armenia, and Russia  actively supports this approach.  

"We are also interested in this process of restoring the economy,  infrastructure, spheres of life support to promote the establishment  of good-neighborly relations between Armenians and Azerbaijanis both  in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and in the interstate plan. This  would contribute to the formation of an environment e of trust and  cooperation for the good of all countries. We are convinced that  people of different confessions and nationalities should live in  peace and security, and the South Caucasus deserves this, and we will  do our best to promote this approach," Lavrov said, pointing out the  role of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship in strengthening these  trends.  At the same time, he added that during the negotiations,  bilateral relations were also discussed, which are at a high level.  The Minister stated that despite the epidemiological restrictions,  active interaction continues at all levels, preparations are underway  for the meeting of the intergovernmental council, which will take  place as soon as the epidemiological situation allows.

"We welcomed growth in the economic sector - last year by 26%, and  this year, despite the coronavirus infection, a unique result is  recorded - it has decreased by only about 7% - this is very  important. We have few such indicators with anyone," he said, adding  that an agreement was reached to continue to create conditions for  expanding trade and economic contacts, strengthening the legal  framework of relations, in particular, the preparation of documents  in the field of mass communications, biological security, and  international information security will be accelerated.  

Lavrov also noted that the Russian Federation attaches importance to  the study of the Russian language in Armenia and projects in this  direction will be continued.  

The Russian minister stressed that the fight against coronavirus  infection was also discussed and said that the Russian Federation  will continue to supply Armenia with mobile biolaboratories, test  systems, reagents, and medical equipment free of charge. According to  him, Yerevan is also showing interest in the Russian vaccine.  

According to him, the meeting also discussed interaction within the  EAEU, CSTO, CIS, it was conditional to continue close interaction  within international platforms such as the UN, OSCE, BSEC, etc.  In  conclusion, he evaluated positively the negotiations and accepted the  invitation of the Armenian minister to visit Yerevan.