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Russian FM says Armenia to join EAU within UN-recognized borders

Thursday, June 19
Armenia will join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAU) within the UN-recognized borders, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on June 18.

Lavrov made the remarks at a briefing in Baku after a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov.

"Integration processes are taking place in the territories of the countries included in the Customs Union. Nagorno-Karabakh is not one of them, but it is a subject of negotiations, which are conducted on the basis of agreed principles," the minister said.

Lavrov also said Armenia has previously stated that it is taking part in these integration processes within the UN-recognized borders.

"The same thing will happen within the Eurasian process," Lavrov added.

Asked about the prospects of Azerbaijan's accession to the Eurasian Economic Union, Lavrov said there has not been an official invitation for Azerbaijan to join the EAU, but Moscow is always glad when its partners show interest in the Eurasian area.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. (trend.az)