Armenia and Azerbaijan should look for opportunities for dialogue and ways to reach a peace agreement, Russia hopes to accelerate this work, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, opening talks in Moscow with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
“Four tripartite statements were approved. Work on them is underway, but, of course, I would like to speed it up. And whatever issues arise, I am convinced that it is all the more necessary to meet regularly, reach agreements, strengthen trust and create ground so that all issues are resolved,” Russia’s chief diplomat said.
He expressed regret over the decision of the Armenian side to refuse to participate in the trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers, which was to be held on Friday in Moscow.
“As of today, we agreed to hold a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia on our territory to continue the discussion on a peace treaty. We were preparing for this event, but, unfortunately, at the last moment, our Armenian colleagues refused to come to Moscow, explaining this by the situation on the ground. It is a pity that such an opportunity was missed,” Lavrov said.
On Monday the Armenian Foreign Ministry said Minister Ararat Mirzoyan would not participate in a trilateral meeting with Russian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Moscow, noting that the opening of the Lachin Corridor is a priority at the moment.
