Coercion and pressure by Russia on either of the sides to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is more than inappropriate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Kommersant Tuesday, November 3.

"Given that Russia shares common history, culture, advanced humanitarian and economic ties with Azerbaijan and Armenia, coercion and the path of pressure on our part is more than inappropriate," Lavrov said when asked whether Russia could impose peace on the parties.

Hostilities have unfolded because of a problem that Lavrov said had to be resolved exclusively by political and diplomatic means.

According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin makes mediation efforts pretty much every day to help resolve the situation.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and terrorist mercenaries deployed by Ankara, started a war against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. Foreign and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages.