Lavrov says Turkey's statements on Karabakh are calls for war

YEREVAN, April 22. /TASS/. The Turkish authorities’ statements on Nagorno-Karabakh are unacceptable as these are calls for war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after talks with his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandyan on Friday.

"The statements of the Turkish leadership are absolutely unacceptable. These were the calls not for peace but for war," Lavrov stressed. "These were calls to resolve the conflict by military means," he said, adding that this absolutely contradicts the position of the co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group.

"Unfortunately, we have got accustomed to such ‘twists’ of the current Turkish leadership," he said.

Earlier Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the work of the Minsk Group (Russia, France and the US) on Nagorno-Karabakh, accusing it of "inaction."

The diplomat has also urged not to delay implementation of confidence-building measures in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Lavrov offered condolences to the relatives and dear ones of those who were killed in the recent outbreak of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"These tragic events merely confirm once again that this conflict does not have a military solution and cannot have one. It can be overcome exclusively by political and diplomatic means," he said. "At this point we believe it is an absolute priority to enforce the full and strict implementation of the 1994-1995 ceasefire agreements, which are open-ended and should be fully respected as such by all."

"Russia as an individual country and a member of the troika of the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs will be doing its utmost to provide assistance to the parties concerned. At this point, apart from full respect for the conditions of open-ended truce we believe it is important to pay attention to the practical implementation of the confidence-building measures, security measures and measures to investigate incidents that were agreed by the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan via Russia’s mediation in 2011 and that the OSCE has sought to enforce," Lavrov said. "Further delays in translating these decisions to life would be wrong.".

Russia favors strict compliance with ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh 

According to Lavrov, Moscow advocates strict observance of the agreements on the indefinite ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We realize what period in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement we are living through," he said. "We have made efforts - President Vladimir Putin personally - to make sure that the outbreak of violence ends."

"Now it is fundamentally important to strictly comply with the ceasefire agreements and prevent new violations of the 1994 and 1995 agreements, which enshrine and strengthen the indefinite ceasefire regime," the Russian minister said.

According to Lavrov, it is necessary to carry through the agreements with the OSCE on confidence-building measures, de-escalation of tensions and snipers.

"As for the political settlement, we are ready to do everything possible," he said. "We need to do our utmost to prevent violence and incidents.".