Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening speech at the tripartite meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.

“Dear Jeyhun Azizovich,

Dear Ararat Samvelovich,

Colleagues,

Friends,

I’m glad to welcome you. I am grateful that you accepted the invitation to once again visit Moscow to continue our contacts on a variety of issues.

We have just held separate bilateral talks. Now the three of us will continue our efforts to implement the tasks arising from the agreements between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia, the Prime Minister of Armenia on the settlement of the Karabakh problem, and (in a broader sense) the tasks of the full normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan.

We advocate that all trilateral agreements in their entirety and interconnections be respected and put into practice.

Russia is entirely vitally interested in peace and stability in the South Caucasus. With the consent of the parties (which, as I understand it, has been confirmed), we will continue our efforts aimed at stabilizing the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, solving humanitarian problems, unblocking economic and transport ties, as well as developing contacts between people through civil societies, political scientists and parliamentarians.

Today I would like to invite you to exchange views on where the process of negotiations on a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia is now. We are ready to help in every possible way in its coordination, using our expert potential and good relations with our friends represented here.

We expect that we will discuss all these issues in a pragmatic, constructive atmosphere.”