Azerbaijan and Russia have signed a new agreement
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, held a joint press briefing with his counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov on June 24.
Bayramov called the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia an example of mutually beneficial cooperation. He stressed that today, June 24, the two countries signed another document – an agreement on cooperation in the field of international information security.
Bayramov also touched upon Azerbaijan’s relations with Armenia: “It is necessary to fulfill all trilateral statements to normalize relations with Armenia. The priority for Azerbaijan is the restoration of the liberated territories. In the near future, we will witness the return of IDPs to the liberated territories.
The Minister noted that a joint Azerbaijani-Russian center has been established in the industrial park in the East Zangazur (Kalbajar, Lachin, Gubadli, Zangilan and Jabrayil) regions.
Lavrov said that Azerbaijan’s exemplary attitude to the Russian language and culture is highly valued in Russia.
Lavrov also noted that the OSCE Minsk Group has suspended its activities. He said it was initiated by the United States and France. “But, of course, we discussed the post-conflict settlement process,” he said. The basis of this process is the trilateral statements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
He expressed satisfaction with the work of the trilateral working group on the opening of all communications and economic ties in the South Caucasus region.
The other two co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group expressed the opposite position. Washington has said it remains committed to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing process. This was stated by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried in an interview with RFE / RL’s Armenian Service.
“The United States is one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group, which plays an important role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We are still committed to this process. We also see that the European Union plays an important role. Therefore, I believe that this is an important moment for the region, and we will do everything possible to help Armenia achieve peace, “the diplomat said.
The OSCE Minsk Group (co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France) was a mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh talks before the Second Karabakh War.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Azerbaijan on June 23. He met with President Ilham Aliyev on the same day. The meeting discussed the implementation of the Declaration on Allied Interaction signed between Russia and Azerbaijan on February 22 this year and the ongoing peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Alliance’s Declaration on Interaction states that the two countries cooperate in political, economic, military and other fields.
In 2020, as a result of the Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijan regained control of part of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. According to the agreement of November 10 of the same year (between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia), the fighting was stopped, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed in the Lachin corridor and on the line of contact in Karabakh.
Last year, the parties signed two more statements on the restoration of economic and transport ties in the region.
Since the end of last year, peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been held mainly through the mediation of the European Union.
The Karabakh conflict began in 1988. Prior to the 1994 ceasefire agreement, the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and 7 adjacent regions were occupied.
S.Lavrov and J.Bayramov. Baku. June 24, 2022