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Russia to assist in Nagorno-Karabakh settlement — PM

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says Russia has always helped and will continue to assist in the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

YEREVAN, May 20. /TASS/. Russia has always helped and will continue to assist in the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday.

"Have no doubt, Russia has always helped and will continue to assist in resolving this complicated conflict," Medvedev said at the meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

"It is important that the state of ceasefire that has been achieved, holds," Medvedev noted. "In this context, we, of course, welcome your meeting with Azerbaijani president in Vienna," he added.

The prime minister also welcomed "efforts in the framework of the Minsk Group made to preserve dialogue, to continue talks and to prevent such incidents in the future." The sides "should keep in mind observing the agreements historically reached in 1994-1995 and, of course, move toward more stable peace in the region and reaching final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Medvedev said.

On Saturday, April 2, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh rapidly deteriorated when the parties to the Karabakh conflict accused each other of violating truce along the front line. The claims came from defense authorities of Armenia and of Azerbaijan.

On April 5 Azerbaijan’s Chief of Staff Col. Gen. Nadjmeddin Sadykov and his Armenian counterpart Col. Gen. Yury Khachaturov in Moscow with Russia’s mediation. At the talks the sides reached an agreement on cessation of hostilities at the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces. On the same day, the defense ministries of the two countries announced that the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh would start at 12am local time.

Though the ceasefire mostly holds, both sides continue to report occasional violations of ceasefire on the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On May 16 the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Vienna. Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev agreed to "make steps to monitor observance of agreements on ceasefire and introduce a mechanism on investigating incidents." They also agreed to "possible resume the negotiations process on settling the conflict," the press service of the Armenian president said.