Moscow Confirms Lavrov's Visit to Baku Despite Karabakh Escalation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Azerbaijan on April 7, as planned, despite the recent escalation of the situation along the separation line in self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Lavrov is scheduled to visit Baku on Thursday to meet with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

"The minister's participation in the trilateral meeting has not been canceled," ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding that the escalation of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh will be on agenda of talks.

The violence in Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region of Azerbaijan with a predominantly Armenian population, escalated on April 2. Baku and Yerevan have accused each other of provoking hostilities.