Sergey Lavrov to visit Yerevan: an unofficial version of the visit

On November 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with his counterpart Edward Nalbandyan. It is expected that in Yerevan Lavrov will also meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

The Middle East is the key issue on the agenda. As the events in the region may well relate to Armenia, Lavrov may ask the Armenian counterparts to reaffirm their commitment to the Russia’s position on this issue, claims Deputy director of the CIS Institute, National Strategy Council member, Vladimir Zharikhin. «This is an opportunity to discuss the risks and challenges, as well as mutual actions in the international arena,» said the expert in his interview to RUSARMINFO. The official list of issues to be discussed is not published, but experts suggest that one of Lavrov’s messages is a call for dialogue on the issue of Nagorno Karabakh. During his recent visit to Baku, Lavrov expressed hope for progress in the Karabakh conflict settlement.

«Lavrov will not announce new proposals on the Karabakh settlement in Yerevan. Moscow’s approach to resolve the conflict does not differ from the position of the OSCE Minsk Group,» noted Vladimir Zharikhin. Lavrov’s visit to Baku and Yerevan on the background of Washington’s increasing activity in the Transcaucasian direction will not harm the negotiation process, assures the Russian expert. «The most valuable is that, unlike other kind of conflicts, the positions of the Russian Federation and United States are very close, if not identical,» said Zharikhin. What Lavrov in Yerevan can not do is to affect the tense situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, he said. «Of course, Sergey Lavrov is a powerful and skillful diplomat, but the solution to this problem does not depend on him: as before, and now it can be done only by the leaders of the two countries — Armenia and Azerbaijan,» concluded Zharikhin. Note: The foreign ministers of Armenia and Russia meet regularly within the activities of various integration associations. The last time colleagues met at MGIMO Alumni Forum, which took place in Yerevan in late October.