Lavrov: Ready to support restoration of communication between Baku  and Yerevan

ArmInfo. Russia consistently supports the efforts of Azerbaijan and Armenia aimed at the full and comprehensive normalization of relations, as stated by  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov  at a press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, following  their talks in Moscow.

"Russia consistently supports the efforts aimed at the full and  comprehensive normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and  Armenia on the basis of the trilateral agreements reached at the  highest level in 2020 and 2022. As before, we are ready to assist  both Baku and Yerevan in unblocking transport and economic  communications and resolving humanitarian issues," the Russian  foreign minister said. 

According to Lavrov, a significant amount of work has already been  carried out in this direction by a specialized working commission at  the level of Deputy Prime Ministers from Armenia, Russia, and  Azerbaijan. "I believe that all these developments remain relevant  today," the Russian minister noted.

Lavrov added that the meeting addressed the issue of the collective  West's attempts to use the South Caucasus as an arena for  geopolitical confrontation. "In this context, we see significant  potential in the 3+3 regional cooperation platform, which unites  three South Caucasus countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia and  their neighbors Russia, Iran, and Turkey," he said. Emphasizing the  relevance of this mechanism, Lavrov noted that it is designed to  facilitate the resolution of any regional challenges by the countries  of the region and their neighbors, without destructive outside  interference. 

"We welcomed the fact that a meeting of experts from the 3+3 format  countries was held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg  International Forum on June 5. All six countries participated. We  hope that our Armenian and Azerbaijani colleagues will soon agree on  a schedule for the next ministerial meetings, and we will determine  where it will take place in Baku or Yerevan, with the understanding  that the next meeting will take place in the other capital," the  Russian Foreign Minister said.

According to him, the meeting focused on resuming full-fledged  cooperation in the cultural, humanitarian, and educational spheres. .  "We spoke in detail about current regional and international agenda  issues. We emphasized the importance of our interaction as a factor  in ensuring stability in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region,"  the minister concluded.