Russian Foreign Ministry: Meeting of Aliyev and Pashinyan in the United States deserves a positive assessment, but…

The meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington, with the mediation of the US President, deserves a positive assessment, although until recently Baku and Yerevan claimed that they prefer to conduct a dialogue without external assistance, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today, August 9.

She recalled that the current stage of the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization started with the direct assistance and central role of Russia with the adoption of the trilateral High-level Statement of November 9, 2020 on the ceasefire and all hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. In 2020-2022, a "road map" was developed in the same trilateral format in all key areas of reconciliation between Baku and Yerevan.

The best option for solving the problems of the South Caucasus is to find and further implement solutions developed by the countries of the region themselves with the support of their immediate neighbors — Russia, Iran, Turkey. The involvement of non-regional players should work to strengthen the peace agenda and not create additional difficulties and dividing lines, Zakharova stressed.

"I would like to avoid the sad experience of Western assistance in resolving conflicts in the Middle East. One of the examples in the South Caucasus is the presence of the EU observation mission in Armenia, whose activities constantly irritate other regionals," Zakharova recalled.

The Russian Foreign Ministry promised to further analyze "Washington's statements regarding the unblocking of regional communications."

"Trilateral agreements with the participation of Russia remain relevant in this area, from which none of the parties has withdrawn. It is also important to take into account the factor of Armenia's membership in the common customs space of the EAEU, in particular, with regard to the organization of transit cargo transportation through the territory of the republic. It is impossible to ignore the fact that Armenia's border with Iran is guarded by Russian border guards stationed in accordance with the interstate agreement of September 30, 1992," Zakharova said.

"The signing and entry into force of the agreement on peace and the establishment of interstate relations between Azerbaijan and the two South Caucasian republics will be of crucial importance in establishing peace between the two South Caucasian republics. Armenia. The reconciliation of the two countries should be inscribed in the regional context and based on a balance of interests and unconditional respect for the priorities of the parties and neighboring states," Maria Zakharova said.