Russia, Armenia top diplomats expect extensive discussion at Wednesday talks

MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. The foreign ministers of Russia and Armenia, Sergey Lavrov and Edvard Nalbandyan, expect on Wednesday to look into how agreements reached by the two countries’ presidents are implemented, to discuss settlement in the mostly Armenian populated Azerbaijan’s breakaway enclave of Nagorno Karabakh, as well as economic and parliamentary cooperation. "We have a tradition of regular visits of the two countries’ foreign ministers to each other," the Russian foreign minister said in the opening remarks at the talks. "Our countries have a vast agenda as concerns bilateral relations, Eurasian integration, union relations within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, in international organizations, including the UN and the OSCE," Lavrov said. The Armenian top diplomat said the Wednesday meeting was a good opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues, including economic and parliamentary ties. "Our defence agencies are cooperating successfully, and military-technical cooperation continues," he noted. He said the top diplomats would also take an opportunity to discuss Nagorno Karabakh. Neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan fell out with each other in the late 1980s because of Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up but was mainly populated by Armenians. In 1991-1994, the confrontation spilled over into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and some adjacent territories. Thousands left their homes on both sides in a conflict that killed 30,000. A truce was called between Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh republic on one side and Azerbaijan on the other in May 1994. Read more