Azerbaijan relies on Russia's help in handling Nagorno-Karabakh issue

Azerbaijan relies on Russia's help in resolving the Nagorno- Karabakh issue, said Azerbaijan's President Geidar Aliev at the Saturday negotiations in the Kremlin with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. Nagorno-Karabakh is an area on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is being vied for by these former Soviet republics.

Aliev said that the Azeri public and he personally "await much from Russia because they believe that Moscow can make a decisive contribution to and play the decisive role in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict". This is "the crucial matter" for Azerbaijan, Aliev stressed.

In turn, the Russian foreign minister said that Russia will work towards resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue within the framework of the intermediary group of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and within bilateral relations with Baku. Ivanov said that Russia understands the importance of resolving this problem for stability in the Caucasus and it is one of the main goals set by President Vladimir Putin before the Russian foreign policy department.

The president of Azerbaijan said the goals of his visit to Russia have been met. He described the relations between the two countries as "friendly relations of strategic partnership".