MOSCOW. Nov 1 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan have discussed a number of key issues on the Karabakh agenda over the phone, including exchanges of captives and ways of preserving the region's cultural and religious legacy, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"The ministers discussed the progress made in implementing the agreements achieved by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia on November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021 in light of the upcoming first anniversary of the November trilateral document on a complete ceasefire and cessation of all hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministers "focused on the progress made in resolving humanitarian problems, above all the return of held persons, the handover of maps of minefields, and the preservation of cultural and historical legacy," the ministry said.
Lavrov and Mirzoyan also discussed ways to eliminate tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, underscoring the importance of further efforts to secure political and diplomatic solutions to border incidents, it said.
The ministers also discussed steps to unblock all transport and economic links in the South Caucasus and to create an atmosphere conducive to regional cooperation.
"They also touched upon the key aspects of Russian-Armenian cooperation in light of upcoming bilateral contacts at different levels, noting the step-by-step development of allied interaction. In addition, the ministers discussed a number of international and regional issues," the ministry said.