He made the remarks on Friday while answering the questions of students of the Azerbaijan State Economic University.

“Whoever says Russia can settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in 15-20 minutes is mistaken,” the ambassador said, noting that Russia can only be a mediator.

He stressed that the desired result cannot be achieved through pressure on both sides. There should be a confidence that can be established by the two countries, according to the ambassador.

The diplomat added that the clashes of early April showed once again how dangerous the current situation is.

“It became clear that the peaceful settlement of the conflict is the only logical way. The conflicting parties and international community need to draw the right conclusions from it. Russia is also drawing conclusions and will increase the mediation efforts,” he said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict entered its modern phase when the Armenian SRR made territorial claims against the Azerbaijani SSR in 1988.

A fierce war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of the war, Armenian armed forces occupied some 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory which includes Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts (Lachin, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan), and over a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced people.

The military operations finally came to an end when Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in Bishkek in 1994.

Dealing with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the OSCE Minsk Group, which was created after the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Helsinki on 24 March 1992. The Group’s members include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belarus, Finland and Sweden.

Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group has a co-chairmanship institution, comprised of Russian, US and French co-chairs, which began operating in 1996.

Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of the UN Security Council, which were passed in short intervals in 1993, and other resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly, PACE, OSCE, OIC, and other organizations require Armenia to unconditionally withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh.

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