Russian, Armenian foreign ministers discuss situation in Karabakh

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov discussed on Friday the situation in Karabakh in a phone talk with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, the phone talk was initiated by the Armenian side.

Lavrov stressed the necessity of the implementation of trilateral agreements between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia on the Karabakh settlement, the statement said.

He also urged to address the issues of unblocking of all transport and economic ties in the region, delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, coordination of the parameters of the peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku, and promoting the dialogue of public figures, experts and parliamentarians.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but was under Armenian occupation since 1991. In 2020, Azerbaijan retook territory in and around the enclave after a second war that ended in a Russian-brokered cease-fire. Talks to normalize Baku-Yerevan relations have continued since then.

Azerbaijani environmental activists have staged protests since Dec. 12 on the Lachin corridor, the only road across Azerbaijan that links Armenia to Karabakh and where Russian peacekeepers are on guard.

Yerevan says the protesters are government-backed, but Baku denies blockading the road.​​​​​​​