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Russian official says simmering conflict in Nagorny Karabakh benefitted US

It was stated the US was interested in "simmering conflicts that flare up from time to time, damaging the stability of life of neighboring states

MOSCOW, June 6. /TASS/. Rashid Nurgaliyev, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, said in an interview published on Monday that the US was never interested in settling the conflict in Nagorny Karabakh and benefitted from maintaining it as a hot spot that weakened the region’s nations.

"That conflict has been brewing for a long time, since Soviet times. And he suited Washington very well as an excuse for creating tension," Nurgaliyev said in the interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta. "The West wasn’t going to resolve the problems in this region."

He said the US was interested in "simmering conflicts that flare up from time to time, damaging the stability of life of neighboring states." Nurgaliyev said that no one except Russia addressed a peaceful settlement of that problem. He said that it was through the mediation of Moscow that Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to completely cease fire and exchange prisoners and the bodies of the dead. In addition, Russia deployed peacekeepers along the line of contact.

"That way, after successfully mediating a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Moscow has strengthened its peacekeeping presence in the South Caucasus," the official said. "Today, Russia is making vigorous efforts to create conditions for the conclusion of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

Speaking about military contacts among the CIS countries, the Security Council official noted that the CSTO had taken measures to exchange information on the military-political situation in the regions of collective security and coordinate joint actions to neutralize threats to military security, as well as improve the crisis response mechanism and organize the use of collective forces of the CSTO. According to Nurgaliyev, that also concerns the creation of practical tools to counter biological threats.

He said that the CIS is improving its unified air defense system and strengthening bilateral and multilateral military cooperation in the field of air defense, joint measures are being taken for operational and combat training of troops. "Our partners express their readiness to further deepen cooperation in the field of ensuring common and national security," the official said.