Russia's position is to watch and comprehend the Cypriot and Karabakh conflicts, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ivanov told reporters in Turkey. "These conflicts can hardly be compared but they both can be settled with the consent of sides only. Russia not only watches the Karabakh and Cypriot conflicts but also assists in international efforts for their settlement. In case with Nagorno Karabakh - within the OSCE Minsk Group framework, in case with Cyprus - within the U.N. Security Council. In both cases our efforts are targeted at maintenance of direct dialogue in order to find a mutually admissible result.

The RF Foreign Minister underscored that Russia promotes development of contacts between Northern and Southern Cyprus, first of in the humanitarian sector, and stands for normalization of economic interaction between the two parts of the island. "Practice proves that contacts of the kind improve the atmosphere of the talks and strengthen trust. The common economic space of Cyprus should serve a basis for the further political settlement," he said, reported the department of press and information of the Russian MFA.