BAKU. Feb 27 (Interfax) - Moscow hails any efforts aimed at normalizing the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
"Regional security remains quite a pressing topic in our relations as well, bilaterally. but also multilaterally. And many of our international colleagues, including those situated far from this region, have been showing keen interest in facilitating progress towards a settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia," Lavrov said at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Monday.
"As President Putin has said repeatedly, we welcome any efforts arising from the interest of stabilization and creating the conditions for all countries here to be able to cooperate normally, on the basis of mutual respect, on the basis of mutual benefit, in the interests of their countries and their people," he said.
On the relations between Moscow and Baku, the minister said that the Russian president "personally pays close attention to the development of our alliance." In his telling, the practical cooperation "in all areas has been developing very effectively and intensely."
Trade between Russia and Azerbaijan is at an all-time high, Lavrov said. "And this is not the limit because, as you and President Putin discussed, we have several mega projects in the making, which will have not only a bilateral dimension to them, but also regional and even global somewhat. Your partners, and many ours, have been showing interest in these projects. And this, too, is an indicator of how promising cooperation is in the region with the leading participation of Russia and Azerbaijan," Lavrov said.