MOSCOW. June 17 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, on Tuesday, for talks that will address bilateral relations, Caspian issues and the prospects for settling the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
"The foreign ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan intend to discuss key aspects of the regional and international agenda. Attention will also be paid to the Caspian issue in light of laying the groundwork for the 4th Caspian summit in Astrakhan. The agenda for the negotiations includes problems surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process with a focus on the need to unblock the current situation and reach specific agreements," the Russian Foreign Ministry has reported.
Azerbaijan is Russia's important strategic partner in Transcaucasia and the Caspian region, the ministry said, praising the Azeri leadership's "consistent policies" aimed at further promoting mutually beneficial cooperation with Moscow.
"The working visit by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the Republic of Azerbaijan on August 13, 2013 gave a powerful impetus to Russian-Azeri relations," it said.