Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich has restated Russia's position that it does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state.
Lukashevich's remarks were published as a comment on the 18 September local elections in Karabakh, published on 22 September on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.
"Russia is making active mediation efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in close collaboration with its partners co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group - the United States and France. We will continue to help the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides to reach a compromise to untie the Karabakh knot as soon as possible," the comment said.
"I confirm support for the principles of territorial integrity and the non-use of force alongside the other fundamental principles and norms of international law.
"As is known, Russia does not recognize the 'Nagorno-Karabakh republic' as an independent state. We think that the holding of elections in Nagorno-Karabakh cannot influence the process of peaceful settlement of the conflict," the comment concluded.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988 when Armenia made claims on the Azerbaijani territory. Later, in a bitter war Armenian armed forces occupied a swathe of Azerbaijani territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Despite a ceasefire in 1994, no long-term peace agreement has been reached.
The de facto authorities of Karabakh held elections to local government bodies on 18 September.
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