Russia, Iran mull Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin discussed the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Rahimpour in Moscow, RIA Novosti news agency reported citing a message from Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

“The parties exchanged views on some issues of the regional agenda. Particular attention was paid to the situation in the Transcaucasia, and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” read the message.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said that Tehran is ready to mediate between Azerbaijan and Armenia for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

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