Russia 110602 Basic Political Developments

FM: Russia to make every effort to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

http://en.trend.az/news/karabakh/1885129.html
02.06.2011 12:17

Russia is ready to do everything in its power to achieve progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement talks, the Director of the Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Andrei Kelin said on June 1.

"We are ready to do everything possible, but progress depends on the will of the parties," Kelin said, commenting on a meeting of Russia and Azerbaijan’s leaders which will be held in Kazan in late June, Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reported.

"The preparation for the meeting is underway," Kelin was quoted by Russia's Interfax. "While the presidents deal with this, foreign ministers are preparing the relevant documents for them. We also participate in the preparatory work, which is very serious and sensitive."

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

Moscow “prepares seriously” for Armenian, Russian, Azerbaijani Presidents’ meeting in Kazan

http://news.am/eng/news/61682.html

June 02, 2011 | 09:55

Russia is ready to make every effort to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Andrei Kelin, Head of the Caucasus Department, Russian Foreign Ministry, stated in an interview with ANS agency.

According to him, preparations are underway for impending meeting of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Kazan. “The presidents, foreign ministers are preparing relevant materials and the mediators are involved in the process. We are also making preperations for the forthcoming meeting. This is a very serious and delicate work,” Kelin stressed.

The Russian official emphasized that breakthrough in the Karabakh peace process depends on the on the will of the conflicting parties. “We believe that it is necessary to step up efforts for the peaceful resolution of the conflict. It is necessary to work in this direction in the future as well,” he said.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, Presidents of Russia, France and Armenia issued a joint statement on Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of G8 Summit, on May 26.

“We, the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chair countries -- France, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America -- are convinced the time has arrived for all the sides to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to take a decisive step towards a peaceful settlement.

“We reiterate that only a negotiated settlement can lead to peace, stability, and reconciliation, opening opportunities for regional development and cooperation.  The use of force created the current situation of confrontation and instability.  Its use again would only bring more suffering and devastation, and would be condemned by the international community.  We strongly urge the leaders of the sides to prepare their populations for peace, not war.”

“We therefore call upon the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to demonstrate their political will by finalizing the Basic Principles during their upcoming summit in June.  Further delay would only call into question the commitment of the sides to reach an agreement.  Once an agreement has been reached, we stand ready to witness the formal acceptance of these Principles, to assist in the drafting of the peace agreement, and then to support its implementation with our international partners,” they said in a statement. 

Medvedev, Napolitano discuss Mideast situation

http://en.rian.ru/world/20110602/164377333.html
02:11 02/06/2011

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano discussed bilateral cooperation and international problems, including the situation in the Middle East and the North Africa, the Kremlin reported.

Many regional countries have been facing popular protests, which already caused the ruling regimes in Egypt and Tunisia to fall. Antigovernment rallies also occurred in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria.

A revolution which began in mid-February in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi's forty-year rule has already claimed thousands of lives, with Gaddafi's troops maintaining their combat capabilities despite NATO airstrikes against them.

Medvedev, who arrived in Rome an a two-day working visit on Wednesday, will on Thursday attend a military parade in central Rome to celebrate 150 years since Italy's unification in 1861 into a united kingdom encompassing the entire Apennine Peninsula.

After the parade, the Russian leader will take part in a trilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden. He will then meet with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.

The Russian leader's negotiations in Italy will focus on bilateral and international issues, particularly trade as Italy is Russia's fifth leading partner after China, the Netherlands, Germany and Ukraine in terms of foreign trade.

Medvedev last visited Italy in February.

ROME, June 2 (RIA Novosti)

05:40 02/06/2011ALL NEWS

Russia, Israel discuss Mideast settlement

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/155910.html

2/6 Tass 439

MOSCOW, June 2 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for further collective international efforts, including by the Quartet, in order to reach compromises and restore of trust between Israelis and Palestinians.

During a meeting with Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon on Wednesday, June 1, Lavrov “confirmed the position of principle in favour of further collective international efforts, including by the Quartet, in order to reach compromises and restore of trust between Israelis and Palestinians for the sake of the political resolution of the Palestinian issue on a clear international legal basis, including the principle of two states”.

“This would be particularly important for facilitating stabilisation in the Middle East and North Africa, ensuring sustainable democratic development and equal security for all countries in the region,” the Foreign Ministry said. “Sergei Lavrov noted great significance of the current inter-Palestinian reconciliation for furthering the peace process, and stressed the need for further strengthening of Palestinian unity on the basis of the PLO platform and the Arab peace initiative, and spoke of the steps Russia is taking to this end.”

Ya’alon stated Israel’s approach and assessed prospects for the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks, and the role of the Iranian factor in the region. He spoke positively of Russia’s efforts to facilitate the Middle East settlement.

Israel is ready to begin negotiations with Palestinians without preconditions, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Dorit Golender said.

“Israel ahs repeatedly urged Palestinians to start negotiations without preconditions. We need to build peace so that we can live as good neighbours,” she said earlier.

“We are looking forward to the upcoming meeting of the Quartet in Berlin,” the diplomat said.

“We want to sit down at the negotiating table with Palestinians and reach peace that will ensure normal life for the future Palestinian state and life with good-neighbourly relations for Israel,” Golender said.

A resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority would help to stabilise the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier after a meeting between Lavrov and the Israeli prime minister’s adviser Yitzhak Molho, who also heads the Israeli delegation to the talks with Palestinians.

During the meeting, Molho stated Israel’s assessments of prospects for a resumption of the dialogue with Palestinians and possible further steps in the search for ways to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“He stressed the big role Russia can play as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and an authoritative participant in the Middle East Quartet of international mediators in facilitating the renewal of the talks,” the ministry said.

“The Russian Foreign Minister noted the importance of continuing collective international efforts, including on the part of the Quartet, for assisting in the search for compromises and restoring trust between the Israelis and Palestinians,” the ministry said.

“A resumption of the peace process now would be of special importance by having a stabilising effect on the overall situation in the Middle East and North Africa, ensuring stable democratic development in all countries in the region while finding fair solutions to all existing problems, including a political settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of international law,” the ministry said.

Molho also have long and substantive talks with the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of the Middle East and North Africa, Sergei Vershinin, and the foreign minister’s special envoy for the Middle East settlement, Sergei Yakovlev.

Russia is actively involved in the work of the Middle East Quartet to promote Middle East settlement and calls for better coordination in international efforts in this respect.

“It is planned that the discussion during the meeting will also touch on how to resume Palestinian-Israeli talks as soon as possible on the generally recognised basis with unconditional compliance by the parties with their obligations,” a Kremlin official said earlier.

The Kremlin expert stressed that “a rejection of unilateral actions anticipating the outcome of the talks on the final status, an end to settlement activities on Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and decisive fight against terrorist manifestations and violence are important components of this process”.

At its latest meeting, the members of the Quartet were in full agreement about “the urgent need to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. To that effect, the Quartet expressed its strong support for the vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace outlined by U.S. President Barack Obama on May 19, 2011”.

“The Quartet agrees that moving forward on the basis of territory and security provides a foundation for Israelis and Palestinians to reach a final resolution of the conflict through serious and substantive negotiations and mutual agreement on all core issues,” the document says.

The Quartet reiterated its “strong appeal to the parties to overcome the current obstacles and resume direct bilateral negotiations without delay or preconditions”.

Published 01:37 02.06.11

Latest update 01:37 02.06.11