Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks and answers to questions at a joint news conference following talks with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, Moscow, December 5, 2022
5 December 2022 18:31
2493-05-12-2022
Ladies and gentlemen,
We had intensive and useful talks with our Azerbaijani colleagues. They indicate that we continue to develop our relations as allies, friends and good neighbours. It is hard to overrate the role of a regular trust-based top-level dialogue between our presidents. This year, our leaders have met six times and have had ten telephone conversations. Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin made his first visit to Azerbaijan on November 18 of this year. The 11th bilateral interregional forum was timed to this visit. Let me recall that over 70 regions of the Russian Federation are taking part in implementing specific economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian projects with their Azerbaijani partners. On September 26 of this year, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin visited Baku.
We regularly communicate with Jeyhun Bayramov. In June of this year, I had the pleasure of visiting Baku. Today, my colleague is paying a return visit to the Russian Federation. We also meet on the sidelines of various multilateral events. Last October we saw each other at a CIS event in Astana.
We agreed with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan that the signing of the Declaration on Allied Interaction by our leaders was a milestone in the outgoing year. This document is historic, without exaggeration, and sets the direction for a close partnership and cooperation for many years ahead.
In 2022, we held some 20 joint events related to the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Today, you attended a ceremony of a special anniversary postal stamp cancellation and presentation of a collection of Russian-Azerbaijani documents.
We signed a schedule for regular consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2023-2024. We will continue productive cooperation between our foreign ministries in all areas.
Russia is one of Azerbaijan's leading partners. The 20th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation took place in 2022. In the ten months of 2022, our trade showed impressive growth, exceeding the $3 billion mark. We expect it to reach a record $4 billion by the end of the year.
Our agenda includes implementation of several important and large projects like the GAZ lorry assembly plant and the development of the Russian Helicopters service, to name a few. Russian companies are prepared to cooperate with their Azerbaijani partners on post-conflict recovery in Azerbaijani territories.
We value our cultural, cultural and educational cooperation. We confirmed our gratitude to our Azerbaijani friends for their careful attitude to the Russian language and culture. We will continue maintaining cultural and educational ties and enhance our common language and education space.
We note the deepening of bilateral youth exchanges. Two forums for Russian and Azerbaijani youth initiatives took place in 2022 - in March of this year in Qusar, Azerbaijan and in September in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. We agreed to jointly support and encourage this important undertaking.
We compared our positions on topical international and regional issues. We discussed in detail the entire package of issues related to the Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement in the vein of the trilateral documents signed by the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia on November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021 and October 31, 2022. In our common conviction, these documents remain a solid, durable and reliable foundation for the full settlement of all issues, including the unblocking of transport and economic connections, the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the drafting of specific agreements on signing a peace treaty. The Russian Federation is ready to render the sides the assistance they need in all of these areas.
We also talked about the activities of the 3+3 Regional Consultative Platform - the three republics in the South Caucasus and three of their neighbours - Russia, Iran and Türkiye. This initiative was originally proposed by the President of Azervaijan. We have held the first meeting in this format. Now we are preparing for the next one, coordinating the dates and agenda.
We agreed to continue close cooperation within the Caspian Five, as well as the CIS and UN venues and support each other's initiatives in key international formats.
We are satisfied with our talks. We are convinced that they will promote the further deepening of ties between Russia and Azerbaijan and help maintain peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus.
Question: What do you think about the potential of developing the North-South Corridor, a strategic project for Moscow and Baku? What is the status of the MIR payment card in Azerbaijan?
Sergey Lavrov: The North-South international transport corridor project is regularly discussed at the level of the presidents, prime ministers and transport departments. Recently, these discussions have become more intensive with the appearance of clear estimates for the project. Experts are showing the potential efficiency of the project not only for our countries and Iran that is planning to take part in it, but also for the global economy. The building of the corridor will bring tangible benefits for all carriers between Asia and Europe and save much time and money. Currently, the project is undergoing intensive analysis. We will tell you more about the progress of this project in the near future. This project piques the interest of all sides on which implementation depends.
The MIR payment system and connecting Azerbaijani banks to the system for the transfer of financial messages (SPFS) to and from the Russian Central Bank are current issues. Three Azerbaijani banks are already using the SPFS. There is also interest in using the MIR payment system to promote personal contact and cooperation in business associations and tourism. The prime ministers and heads of the related departments are overseeing these issues.
Question: You gave an account of the peace treaty talks with Armenia. The media have mentioned two different approaches, one suggested by Moscow and the other by Washington. Can you clear up this issue?
Sergey Lavrov: There are more than two versions. Moscow prepared its proposals in early 2022 and submitted them to the parties to confirm its effort to help them find a common foundation. It received a positive response.
Then Azerbaijan came up with its five principles as discussed by Jeyhan Bayramov, and we saw the response to this from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Azerbaijan presented one more version of this potential document during the visit by the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to Washington in the autumn of this year. Armenian representatives presented their counter proposals upon return from the US capital.
Like before, Russia is willing to help. At this point, it is important for the sides to make up their minds on the main issues of principle. What the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia coordinated in Prague on October 6 of this year is of major importance. They reaffirmed their desire to resolve all the problems based on the UN Charter and the Alma Ata Declaration of 1991. As I understand it, this enjoyed support by President of Azerbaijan Ilhan Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Now it is much easier to reach the goal.
Question: On December 3 of this year, some media reported that a number of Azerbaijani government agencies addressed the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the environmental situation in their deployment area. Did you discuss this issue today?
Sergey Lavrov: We did give some time to this issue as well. We stated that representatives of certain Azerbaijani departments are working with the Russian peacekeepers "on the ground." As in all other cases, we attach primary importance to the questions from our Azerbaijani neighbours and colleagues as regards the implementation of the trilateral agreements. The Russian military is actively involved in this "on the ground."
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