Russia says tripartite ministerial session with Iran, Azerbaijan in place
TEHRAN - There is no tweaking of a plan in the tripartite meeting slated for April 7 among foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
There were mixed speculation over the timing of the meeting in media outlets, citing escalation of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
“The minister’s participation in the trilateral meeting has not been canceled,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding that the escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh will be on agenda of talks, Sputnik said on Monday.
The event will bring together Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov along with his Iranian and Azeri counterparts.
On the agenda will be discussion of the ongoing-exchange of fire between Azerbaijan and Armenia which broke out on April 2. Dozens of servicemen from both sides have allegedly been killed and some more injured.
While each of the two countries have been pointing the finger at each other, accusing each of war-mongering, dovish and hawkish calls by the international community are pouring in.
During his visit to the United States, Turkish President Erdogan told an Azerbaijani reporter that “we will support Azerbaijan to the end.” The remarks were quoted by the presidency on Sunday.
“Turkey has stood by Azerbaijan from the very beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At some point, Karabakh will inevitably return to its rightful owner and become a part of Azerbaijan again.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has expressed Tehran’s readiness to mediate upon receiving the green light from both sides.
The conflict first began in 1988, when the Armenian-dominated autonomous region sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, according to Sputnik.
Although Nagorno-Karabakh lies inside Azerbaijan, it is controlled by majority ethnic Armenians, Reuters reported.
AK/PA
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