We have laid the foundation for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan when, thanks to the personal intervention of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first tripartite statement on the principles of a final settlement was signed in November 2020, and several more high-level tripartite statements were subsequently adopted, dedicated to various aspects of the efforts that are necessary for the situation to be fully settled. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this in a press briefing Tuesday.
“This refers, among other things, to the unblocking of transport and economic communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and in the South Caucasus in general. We are not opposed to other international players trying their hand at mediation. The main thing is that this mediation pursues the goal of securing agreements that will reflect the balance of the interests of the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples, the Armenian and Azerbaijani states,” the Russian FM noted.
“Unfortunately, in what the US is doing now, and what the European Union is doing, we see more that there is no desire to help reach an agreement, but there is a desire to penetrate the region, to suppress the legitimate rights of the Russian Federation, and a desire to establish itself as some kind of forces that will play an alleged decisive role here. It reflects the same process of the West trying to establish itself in those regions that are far from the borders of NATO and European Union members. And it has little to do with a sincere desire to help stabilize the situation,” Lavrov added.
“Our partners in Yerevan and Baku, I hope, understand this; at least we [i.e. Russia] are openly discussing with them what is happening. And I will emphasize once again that reaching agreements is possible only within the framework of the full implementation of the trilateral statements that were signed by the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, and the Prime Minister of Armenia,” the Russian FM said.
Source: News.am
