Today's meeting continued the direct Armenian-Azerbaijani top-level dialogue that began in April 1999 in Moscow on the sidelines of the CIS summit. Direct contacts between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders have proved to be highly effective. Much has already been achieved. The parties to the conflict have cultivated mutual trust, exchanged prisoners of war, and reinforced their ceasefire; the heads of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign and Defence Ministries have begun regular contacts. But, most importantly, the two countries' leaders have consistently been working towards a compromise that would untie the Nagorno-Karabakh knot.
Russia strongly supports direct dialogue between President of Azerbaijan Heidar Aliyev and President of Armenia Robert Kocharian. We, in turn, are taking active measures to contribute to the search for a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem that would satisfy both sides. If the talks are successful, Russia will be ready to serve as a guarantor of a compromise settlement. We are playing an active role in the OSCE Minsk group, co-chairing it together with the U.S. and France. Russia’s traditionally friendly relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia are helping it to assist talks between Baku and Yerevan. This has been proved by today's open and comprehensive discussion between the three leaders.
We had a useful exchange of opinions on the current state of and future outlook for the search for a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, and we agreed to continue discussing the problem.