Sergei Ivanov: "I do not rule out the possibility of peacekeepers appearing in the Karabakh conflict zone"

Speaking at a news conference in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, Sergei Ivanov said: "Any settlement scheme imposed from the outside could in my opinion be not only counterproductive, but also very dangerous."

He said international mediators should not try to impose a solution on Armenia and Azerbaijan, but should facilitate the implementation of any agreement the sides may reach over Karabakh bilaterally, RIA Novosti informs.

Ivanov also said peacekeepers could be deployed in the zone of the conflict, which claimed 30,000 lives on both sides between 1988 and 1994 after the Azerbaijani region with a largely Armenian population proclaimed independence from Azerbaijan in a bid to join Armenia.

"I do not rule out the possibility of peacekeepers appearing in the Karabakh conflict zone in the foreseeable future to enforce all political agreements that will be reached sooner or later," he said.