We would like to share in CIS Executive Secretary’s optimistic views on Karabakh, chief of socio-political department of the Presidential Administration Ali Hasanov said.

“We believe that the recent meetings in various formats, including Astrakhan meeting also attended by Russian President are giving hopes for further progress. Azerbaijani President said that he will suspend the meetings, should he perceive them unable to produce effective results,” Hasanov said, commenting on the statement of CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev.

”We hope the approximation of positions will continue and Karabakh issue will be solved based on the norms of the international law and mutual concessions,” APA cited Hasanov as saying.

Earlier, Sergey Lebedev said that agreement on exchange of prisoners of war and bodies of soldiers, reached at Armenia-Russia presidential meeting in Astrakhan, mediated by Russian President, is the first step towards the approximation of the positions.

“These are small steps, but we are doing our best to take other measures,” he said.