Foreign ministers Edward Nalbandian (left) and Sergei Lavrov meet in Moscow Friday

YEREVAN—Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Friday that Azerbaijan’s latest aggression is a serious blow to the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks.

“The large-scale military attacks unleashed by Azerbaijan have struck a serious blow to the negotiation process on the resolutin of the Karabakh conflict and the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group,” Nalbandian, who is Moscow for meetings, told Lavrov. He added that urgent and practical steps were needed to stabilize the situation.

Lavrov said that from the beginning of the recent escalation, Russia has been steadfast in stopping the escalation of violence. He also reiterated Moscow’s standpoint that use of force in the Karabakh conflict was unacceptable.

The Russian foreign minister stressed the importance of preventing the resumption of military activities and emphasized the need to create conditions for the advancement of the OSCE Minsk Group-led efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Lavrov also briefed Nalbandian on his visit to Baku, where he met with his Azerbaijani and Iranian counterparts.

While in Baku, Lavrov announced that new approaches to the Karabakh conflict resolution had been drafted and were awaiting the approval of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Without providing specifics of said approaches, Lavrov maintained the need for a speedy resolution of the conflict.

Nalbandian and Lavrov also discussed the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and the imperative to protect the rights and well-being of minorities, especially Christians.