ASTRAKHAN. Oct 27 (Interfax) - The leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia for the first time since their meeting near Moscow in 2008 have adopted a joint humanitarian statement.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told the press that Baku and Yerevan agreed "to immediately exchange prisoners of war and repatriate the bodies of the killed."
"The settlement of the conflict by political and diplomatic means requires further efforts to strengthen the ceasefire and confidence building measures in the military sphere," the statement says.
"With this purpose the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed as the first step to immediately exchange prisoners of war and repatriate the bodies of the killed with the assistance of cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group and the International Committee of the Red Cross," the statement says.
Commenting on it Medvedev said that it is "of humanitarian nature but nonetheless is very important given various differences that exist today in the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on Nagorno Karabakh."
He said the statement "is aimed at confidence building"
The Russian president also said: "This is a fairly dramatic but separate subject. However, it is essential because the sides have not been in direct open confrontation for a long time but there are problems, there is shooting, people are dying. There is a time when one should look at the situation openly and try to meet each other half way. One should try to resolve important, if not great issues."
The meeting of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia lasted an hour and a half longer than expected, an Interfax correspondent reported. They are expected to have dinner together during a boat ride.
Medvedev reminded journalists that this was the seventh meeting of its kind.
"These are generally complex meetings. They are marked by quite tough polemics, emotions at times. That's not so easy for the meditating side, the Minsk Group or Russia as a cochairman of the Minsk Group," Medvedev admitted.
Still he said: "These meetings are very useful. Talks are always better than an active stage of the conflict. Besides, these are not just talks but advancement."