Russia not to interfere with Nagorny Karabakh conflict

On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, now on an official visit to Yerevan, said Russia would not pressure the participants in the Nagorny Karabakh conflict negotiations to settle their dispute. Nagorny Karabakh is an area in the Caucasus disputed by Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"Russia will not repeat the mistakes of the Soviet period. If somebody thinks that Russia will impose its will in this question, he is wrong," said the minister.

According to the minister, the disputing parties may find the basis for a rapprochement and desire a compromise and mutual concessions.

"If there is a real ground for this, we are ready to help, but we do not intend to intervene. We do not need to," said the Russian minister.

The minister said that the prospects for settling this conflict are uncertain.

Nagorny Karabakh, a territory inhabited mainly by Armenians on the Armenian border with Azerbaijan, was part of Azerbaijan in the Soviet years. The current conflict arose shortly before the breakup of the USSR, when the leadership of the territory, supported by Yerevan, decided to join Armenia. Today, Nagorny Karabakh is a self-proclaimed republic.