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There is a certain pause in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict, Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, told reporters in Yerevan before the launch of the Lazarev Club’s first plenary session.

“I don’t know how much this is justified, but I think that senior politicians assess the fact that elections are pending in Armenia. But the Karabakh conflict settlement stands in line,” the Russian official, stressing the conflict resolution can no way be delayed too long.

Reflecting on the Armenian-Russian ties, Zatulin stressed that no one questions the allied relations between the two countries.

“You know that the leaders of our countries hold regular meetings and exchange views. It’s clear that what happened in Armenia, which is referred to as a revolution in the country, affected not only the domestic but also the foreign agenda,” he said.

Zatulin highlighted the Armenian-Russian cooperation in the defense and security sectors.

Separately, the top Russian official said he cannot make any predictions on the possible developments over the CSTO secretary general.

“As you know, the leaders of the CSTO member states will meet on December 6. It’s hard to predict what will happen on 6 December. Following the norms of ethics, I would not like to add fuel to the fire by saying who it would or wouldn’t be appropriate to appoint to the post,” he said.

Zatulin says the developments over the CSTO chief is not a standard situation, since it is not envisaged by the organization’s Charter.