Russia's Medvedev pushes Nagorno-Karabakh talks

By Denis Dyomkin

YEREVAN, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, projecting Moscow's diplomatic clout in the Caucasus, pushed on Tuesday to bring the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan together for talks on breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh's ethnic Armenian population broke away from Azerbaijan in a war as the Soviet Union fell apart and now runs its own affairs, with support from Armenia. It has declared its independence, but is unrecognised by any state.

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan and Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev last met on the issue in early June, but the war in Georgia in August appears to have lent fresh impetus to diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.

The war in Georgia erupted when Moscow sent troops to crush a bid by Georgian troops to reassert control over the breakaway region of South Ossetia, another "frozen conflict" arising from the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Visiting staunch ally Armenia, Medvedev said the war in Georgia had shown the need to resolve disputes "on the basis of international principles and by negotiations."

Armenia and Azerbaijan have never signed a peace treaty, and Azerbaijan has not ruled out using force to restore its control over Nagorno-Karabakh.

"I hope we are in an advanced stage now," Medvedev said after talks with Sarksyan.

"Both sides are ready to seek solutions," he said, adding that he hoped to meet together with Sarksyan and Aliyev "in the very near future."

"I hope such a meeting will take place in Russia."

Azeri ally and NATO member Turkey had taken the diplomatic lead in the wake of the August war. Medvedev's initative will be seen as a response, in a region where Russia and the West are vying for influence over vital energy transit routes from Central Asia to Western markets.

Diplomats say that, without Russia, little headway can be made on the 'frozen conflicts'.

Russia's war with Georgia deepened concern in the West over the reliability of the Caucasus energy corridor.

Armenia is considered Russia's strongest ally in the region, but is also being courted by the United States. Yerevan is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace programme, and hosted alliance exercises over the past three weeks. (Writing by Matt Robinson, editing by Richard balmforth)