Monday, December 7 2020 18:34

ArmInfo. Part of a long-term and sustainable settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the establishment of a normal life in this region, a life that would meet  the interests of all national, ethnic and confessional groups.  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this on December 7 at a  press conference following talks with his Armenian counterpart Ara  Aivazian.

 "And, of course, this implies the coexistence and  good-neighborliness of Armenians and Azerbaijanis and other peoples.  We actively support this and will encourage any steps in this  direction," Lavrov said.  Answering the question about the likelihood  of astanization of the process around Nagorno-Karabakh, the fear of  which was expressed by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell,  Lavrov noted that he had not read Borrel's blog with the term  "astanization". "I hope he meant it, and not some other consonant  expressions. In this case, I do not see any negative opinion or  subtext in the term" astanization". At least, I hope that he did not  put negative connotations," - said the Russian minister, recalling  that the Astana process was introduced in the context of the Syrian  crisis, and until the Astana format was formed and launched, no  progress in resolving the conflict was observed at all, and nothing  was done for a whole year.  According to him, it was then that Russia  and Turkey, and subsequently Iran, joined this process, taking  advantage of their influence in Syria.

"As for projecting this format to other regions, this is probably the  case of political scientists. As for the South Caucasus, in  principle, Russia, Turkey and Iran are direct neighbors of the  countries of this region, and of course, we are not indifferent to  how things are here. We express our attitude to what is happening by  concrete deeds, and by the great and serious help that we provide to  overcome the created humanitarian crisis, both by peacekeepers, and  humanitarian supplies, and in many other forms. In general, with  regard to the mood expressed in Borrell's blog , then it seems to me  that he is a little concerned that someone other than the European  Union can take some proactive steps in the modern world. Recall that,  for example, in case of the Balkans, Borrell's predecessor said that  when the EU comes to the Balkans, then the rest have nothing to do  there. When they began to ask puzzled questions, they began to  pretend that they were not understood correctly. But, everyone was  perfectly understood everything. And if astanization is thrown into  diplomatic circulation as a reflection of nostalgia for colonization,  then the EU will probably have to go through these years of nostalgia  for those times that have sunk irrevocably, "said the Russian  minister, expressing the hope that the EU will behave in a modern way  and not try to imagine the modern world as subject to the division of  spheres of influence. According to Lavrov, there will be enough room  for everyone if they participate honestly in the settlement of a  conflict, and not for the sake of obtaining geopolitical benefits and  unilateral advantages.