The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov summed up 2020 during a remote press conference. Answering the questions of the Azeri journalist, why do the Armenian officials visit Artsakh without Azerbaijan's permission ?, how will the Russian peacekeeping contingent settle the issue ?, to what extent was this issue raised by Baku is taken into account, Lavrov said.
"All the agreements, first of all the November 9 agreements, stipulate that the connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh should be provided by land, including the Lachin corridor, which should be controlled by Russian peacekeepers. No one has ever denied the connection between Karabakh and Armenia. During the decades of negotiations, the issue of "cutting off" Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia has never been discussed. That is why no one has denied the Lachin corridor as a concept. It remains a subject of agreement, including by our Azerbaijani neighbors.
In addition to the November 9 agreements, according to which, in parallel with the Lachin corridor, which will have a new route, a reliable and permanent connection must be established between the western regions of the main territory of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. It is enshrined in the agreements of the heads of state.
If we agree, and everyone agrees, that there should be a connection between the Armenians of Armenia and the Armenians of Karabakh, I see no reason to obstruct contacts at that level. Armenian officials in Nagorno-Karabakh are involved in resolving humanitarian issues, which does not cause any negative feelings in Baku. And it would be weird if it were otherwise. And the fact that Armenian officials make political statements in Nagorno-Karabakh probably causes tension. I think it would be better to avoid it.
We saw the consequences of the emotional statements of politicians from Karabakh or on the topic of Karabakh before the 44-day war. For example, the phrase "New war, new territories". You know, words tend to materialize. In this case, they materialized with negative force. That is why we are now paying great attention to establishing contacts between the leaderships of Azerbaijan and Armenia, building an atmosphere of trust, and that was the meaning of the meetings between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow. I hope that emotions will be pushed to the background.
I also think that at this stage now is not the best time to set the issue of NK status as a priority. It must be left to the future. We will return to the status quo. I have already mentioned that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are also acting. Concrete, legal and peaceful discussions on the status should be held between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis necessary for the good-neighborly relations of all the peoples of the region."
