Baku Satisfied with Lavrov’s Information from Yerevan

The Karabakh settlement became one of the main topics of the talks of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the course of his negotiations in Baku with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

The information that Lavrov shared "puts us in a positive way," said Mammadyarov on Tuesday at a joint briefing, commenting on Lavrov's visit to Yerevan on July 4.

He also noted that the Karabakh settlement was discussed at the meeting in Warsaw by President Aliyev, the head of France Hollande and the US Secretary of State Kerry.

In addition, after the St. Petersburg meeting, Putin discussed the Karabakh settlement with the Presidents of France and the United States.

In general, currently there is intensive dialogue with the co-chairs of the OSCE MG for settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Mammadyarov considers this is an important diplomatic activity in order to find solutions to the outstanding issues and achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations.

In his opinion, "there is an understanding of" phased solution to the problem. "The military component is of great danger to the region," he said.

Both ministers have refused to disclose details of the current negotiations. According to Mammadyarov, diplomatic activity and meaningful negotiations cause us to be optimistic about the future.

The optimism of Mammadyarov is also shared by Lavrov, saying that according to the results of the trilateral meeting in St. Petersburg, the two sides "agreed to take good care of the sprouts of hope that are now appearing not to frighten off the situation."

"We have reason to believe that this time we are much closer to the long term success than it has been until now," Lavrov said.

With respect to reports about the next meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders in Paris, Mammadyarov said that such a meeting could take place in Paris and elsewhere. The main thing is that the talks should be substantive and that "there is no illusion that the negotiations could last forever." -06D--