Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on Thursday met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the margins of a CIS foreign ministers’ meeting Ashghabad, Turkmenistan.

“Both sides attached importance to the intensive high-level dialogue, and the process of implementation of agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries,” said Mnatsakanyan after the meeting.

Armenia’s top diplomat said that Armenia and Russia are actively cooperation on international issues, adding that the current attack by Turkey on northeastern Syria was a topic of discussion, as were other regional challenges.

According to the RIA Novosti news agency, Lavrov said the meeting was an opportunity to chart the course for implementing agreements reached between the Armenian prime minister and the Russian president.

The current developments in the Karabakh conflict resolution process were also discussed, with Mnatsakanyan emphasizing the importance of Artsakh security and status. According to the Armenian foreign ministry’s press office, Mnatsakanyan stressed the need to adhere to agreements reached as a result of the negotiations and not use the talks to advance maximalist approached. He also highlighted the need for parity when dealing with the parties to the conflict.

This was the first meeting between the top diplomats of Armenia and Russia since Lavrov last week publicly aired Moscow’s dislike of remarks made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Artsakh in August, when he told a rally that “Artsakh is Armenia,” which evidently has angered Moscow.

Addressing a security conference in Sochi last week, Lavrov said that statements such as the one Pashinyan made were not conducive for the advancement of the peace talks.

http://asbarez.com/186835/armenian-russian-foreign-ministers-meet-in-ashghabad/