Lavrov rules out new Armenian-Azeri war over Karabakh

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the rebel region of Nagorno-Karabakh are not likely to resume.   

"We dismiss even a thought that the Karabakh conflict might enter a hot phase,” Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan in Moscow. "I am convinced that, despite the rhetoric, none of the parties wants this."

Asked how Russia would react if Azerbaijan attempted to regain control of the Armenian-occupied territory, Lavrov said: "All obligations that the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] members have undertaken on a reciprocal basis are stipulated in the treaty itself.”

Armenia captured nearly one-fifth of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991.

While major hostilities ended with a cease-fire in 1994, no peace agreement has been signed.

Armenia has yet to comply with four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the occupied territory.