Armenia and Azerbaijan are still far from reaching agreements on a number of key aspects of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a joint press conference with his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.

However, the Russian official expressed hope for the settlement of the conflict, RIA Novosti reports.

“Our hope is based on the results of the years of interaction that allowed us to form a common approach on a number of key issues to be settled. These include security, humanitarian issues, and the return of the territories surrounding Karabakh that are outside Azerbaijan’s control. Here also belongs determination of the Nagorno Karabakh status while taking into consideration the wishes of people who reside in the territory, as well as the agreement on the principles of the international peacekeeping forces. The sides have reached agreements over the majority of these aspects,” Lavrov said.

“However, there are a couple specific topics that are crucial for the final package. They are under discussion. We are still far from seeing he sides develop a common approach on those aspects,” the official said.