Russia's top diplomat warns against politicizing Nagorno-Karabakh peace process

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on Thursday against attempts to politicize the process underway in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to establish peace.

"This process must not be politicized now. It is moving along with difficulties, because among the issues that are being ironed out are the routes to connect this region, as well as ensuring what is now called the connectivity of inter-regional relations," Lavrov explained at a news conference following talks with his Armenian counterpart Ara Aivazian, TASS reported. 

"The issues regarding the line of contact, boundary delimitation and demarcation are being settled. These are practical, understandable things that must be solved so that the region could breathe again and leave peacefully," the top Russian diplomat said.

"Those who are trying to postpone these issues until later and first engage in political discussion are putting the cart before the horse in my opinion. It is much simpler to solve political issues once people have started to live normally - both Azerbaijanis and Armenians, live together like it had used to be for decades and centuries," Lavrov added.