Russia Values ​Interaction with Azerbaijan in International Arena - Lavrov

Baku / 13.12.18 / Turan: Russia wants to continue to promote direct dialogue between Baku and Yerevan on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting in Baku with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on December 13.

Referring to the upcoming December 14 meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the countries participating in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization in Baku, Lavrov noted the successful chairmanship of Azerbaijan in the BSEC for six months.

Lavrov conveyed greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the statement published on the Russian MFA website says. He also referred to the December 14 meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in Baku, headed by the Ministers of Economy of the two countries.

In his opinion, the meeting will most likely contribute to further advancement in areas agreed by the heads of state - trade facilitation, and digitalization of the budget and tax spheres, transport cooperation, creation of joint ventures, humanitarian contacts in various areas, including interaction between the regions of Russia and Azerbaijan.

Russia values ​​interaction with Azerbaijan in the international arena - Lavrov said. "We appreciate the interaction with Azerbaijan in the international arena - at the UN and the Council of Europe, where attempts are being made to revise the key provisions of the Organization"s Charter, which guarantees the equal rights of all CE member countries in all structures of this Organization. We work together in the OSCE," Lavrov noted.

Referring to the Karabakh conflict, Lavrov noted that Russia wants to continue to promote direct dialogue between Baku and Yerevan on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "I know that you had contacts with the Prime Minister of Armenia, and my colleague and friend, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, E.M. Mammadyarov, had contacts with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Z.G. Mnatsakanyan. Today, of course, we will be very interested to listen to your assessments of how you see progress. We want this settlement to take place on a fair and mutually acceptable basis. Russia in its national capacity, as a member of the Three - Russia, the United States, and France, and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman, will do everything to help achieve a settlement of the conflict," Lavrov said. -06D--