Monday, December 7 2020 18:09

ArmInfo.Over the past many years, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have done a lot of work, including developing and agreeing on the whole (though not to the  last detail) with the parties on the basic principles of the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this on December 7 at a press conference following the talks with his Armenian counterpart Ara Aivazian, recalling that  initially Russia and the United States were co-chairs, and France  joined later at the request of colleagues from Paris.

The Russian minister stressed that it was these basic principles that  formed the basis of the agreements that were fixed in the statement  of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9. "I  mean, the transfer of five and two regions, the deployment of a  peacekeeping contingent to ensure security, the creation of the  Lachin corridor between Karabakh and Armenia, as well as the  unblocking of all transport and economic ties and communications. All  this is enshrined in the statement and is beginning to be effectively  implemented," he said. 

According to him, the peacekeepers, together with the humanitarian  center, actively cooperate with the local population, from the very  first minutes of their deployment there, assistance is provided to  those returning. "And this process is becoming more stable. People  are getting more confidence in connection with what is being done  there, and we will further strengthen these sentiments. And we will  strive to make this center international, with the participation of  Armenia and Azerbaijan. The relevant documents are being discussed  along the lines of appropriate structures," he said, adding that the  legal aspects of the zone of responsibility of the Russian  peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh are also being considered.

According to him, the process is going exactly in the direction on  which the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs agreed with the parties and now  the main thing is the implementation of the agreements reached on  November 9.  

At the same time, Lavrov believes that the Minsk mediators could use  their weight and authority in attracting international organizations  to deploy activities in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

In this regard, he noted that despite the fact that the UN  organizations worked in Armenia and Azerbaijan, they were not in  Artsakh, and the Secretary General of the Organization announced the  preparation of a mission with the participation of specialized  structures to send them to Nagorno-Karabakh approximately in  mid-December. 

Lavrov expressed the hope that these UN structures will focus their  attention on pressing humanitarian problems, such as the restoration  of housing stock, infrastructures, etc.  

The Russian Foreign Minister also believes that the Minsk mediators  could also pay attention to the issue of preserving cultural and  religious sites, in general, cultural heritage in Karabakh. "We, as  one of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, would be interested, together  with our colleagues from France and the United States, to actively  stimulate international organizations to ensure progress in these  areas.The preservation and protection of cultural heritage and  religious sites is of particular importance. I think that France, as  the host country of the UNESCO headquarters, can play a special role here, and the American side can actively contribute," Lavrov summed up.