LAVROV PUZZLED BY U.S. ASSERTIONS THAT RUSSIA'S ENGAGEMENT IN SETTLING CIS CONFLICTS IS NOT INTENSIVE ENOUGH
RIA Novosti
BAKU, February 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had not heard of a U.S. State Department official's statement that Russia had not paid much attention to settling conflicts in the post-Soviet space.
Mr. Lavrov was pressed for comments on U.S. Undersecretary of State Elizabeth Jones' statement at a press conference in Baku.
"I have not heard of this statement," said the minister.
"But I do find it strange as being a facilitating party, Russia is engaged in the settlement of practically all conflicts in the post-Soviet space," said Mr. Lavrov.
Mr. Lavrov recalled that Russia, along with the United States and France, was a co-sponsor of the settlement process (between Azerbaijan and Armenia) over Nagorny Karabakh.
"Over the past 2-3 months Russia has been working intensively within the (OSCE) Minsk Group along with the U.S. and France, and we will hopefully achieve considerable progress soon," said the minister.
Mr. Lavrov also pointed to Russia's intense efforts to settle conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transdniestria (the self-proclaimed republics on Georgian and Moldovan territories respectively). Mr. Lavrov said the parties to the conflicts would fulfill their obligations and thereby they would hopefully stabilize the situation there.
Speaking about settlement efforts in Transdniestria, Mr. Lavrov said Russia had made a greater contribution to the settlement process than the other parties involved. Mr. Lavrov believes a memorandum and the stability pact proposed by Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin will produce a positive result if signed by the parties to the conflict. Mr. Lavrov believes this is "the only appropriate way to settle the conflict."
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