Russian Foreign Minister: Agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh are being  implemented quite effectively, with the exception of the pending  issue of prisoners of war

ArmInfo. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov considers emotional statements on Karabakh counterproductive. Speaking at a large final press conference on  January 18, the Russian Minister noted that some statements by  Armenian officials probably cause tension.

"I think it would be better to avoid this. Before the 44-day war  began, we witnessed emotional statements made from Karabakh, or about  Karabakh -" new war, new territories. "The words can become material.  In this case, words from different sides have become a very negative  material force, "Lavrov added. That is why now very much attention is  paid to establishing contacts between the leaderships of Armenia and  Azerbaijan, creating an environment of trust, and this was another of  the important meanings of the meeting in Moscow with the  participation of the leaders of the three countries. Russia hopes  that emotions will be sidelined.

He also stressed that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh was deliberately  not mentioned in the November 9 trilateral statement. The status  problem is controversial, and it was decided to bypass this issue and  leave it for the future. According to him, the OSCE Minsk Group  co-chairs, who will again visit the region in the near future, should  deal with this issue. 

"The territory where the peacekeeping mission is deployed is the zone  of responsibility of the peacekeeping contingent. We proceed from  this in our contacts with Yerevan and Baku. Now the details of  organizing transport communications and rendering humanitarian  assistance are being worked out," the Minister added. Russia is  interested in international organizations, including UNESCO, the UN,  working in Karabakh, providing assistance to the local population. 

However, during the discussion of aid, questions arise due to  controversies around the status. It was because of these  contradictions between Yerevan and Baku that the three leaders  decided to bypass this issue. The problem of status, as the Minister  noted, can be solved the easier, the sooner on earth the assurances  about the improvement of the daily life of all communities are  fulfilled.  At the same time, the head of the Russian Foreign  Ministry stressed that the question of cutting off Nagorno-Karabakh  from Armenia never arose. 

"No one has ever denied Armenia's connection with Karabakh,  throughout all the decades of negotiations there has never been a  question of cutting off Armenia and Karabakh from each other. And  that is why the Lachin corridor as a concept was not rejected by  anyone, and it is still the subject of agreement parties, including  the consent of our Azerbaijani neighbors," Lavrov said. 

The Russian Foreign Minister recalled that the agreements between  Moscow, Baku and Yerevan dated November 9 last year recorded the  agreement of the parties to ensure communication between Armenia and  Nagorno-Karabakh through the Lachin corridor, which will be under the  control of Russian peacekeepers.  Lavrov noted that the agreements on  Nagorno-Karabakh are being implemented quite effectively. 

"This is an assessment of both President Aliyev and Prime Minister  Pashinyan," he added. At the same time, he noted that the pending  issue of prisoners of war is an exception.