MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) - Conducting any kind of military operations or warfare in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is not an internal affair of Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.
When asked by Azerbaijani reporters what kind of stance Moscow will take "in the event of launching a counterterrorist operation in the occupied territories and their clearance of occupation forces and whether Moscow will turn a blind eye on this or interfere with Azerbaijan's internal affairs," Lavrov said: "This is no longer something abstract, this is not solely a subject of internal affairs of Azerbaijan with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."
Lavrov recalled that "there exists a whole set of solutions adopted by the UN Security Council in the peak of the conflict that required to cease fire".
"If one turns to archives, then one can see how these requirements of an immediate ceasefire were met, who met them and who didn't." Lavrov said.
In Lavrov's view, "since this ceasefire became effective through the mediation of Russia and the OSCE, the requirement that the occupied territory must be released has been in force". "But it's under no circumstances, [that it may be done] by way of using force and [it's only possible] if Nagorno-Karabakh's ultimate status is determined," Lavrov said.