Russian, Azerbaijani Leaders Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, have met for talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Topping the agenda was the situation concerning negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh, the predominantly ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan that broke away from Baku’s control in a war in the early 1990s.

Aliyev thanked Russia for its mediation efforts in the dispute.

“We greatly appreciate your personal involvement in this process,” Aliyev said. “The negotiation rounds already held have drawn the positions of the two sides closer.”

Russia, France, and the United States co-chair the Minsk Group, created by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to broker a peace deal.

The negotiations on a settlement have remained deadlocked since a June summit in the Russian city of Kazan between the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Russian leaders.

Medvedev and Aliyev today were also expected to discuss the legal status of the Caspian Sea, as well as trade and economic cooperation between their two countries.

compiled from agency reports

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