Zakharova responds weakly to Azerbaijan putting three Russian  journalists on wanted list

ArmInfo. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova has commented on  Azerbaijan's decision to place three Russian journalists—Ivan  Knyazev, Semyon Uralov, and Alexey Chadaev—on its international  wanted list.

The Russian diplomat stated that the statements made by these  individuals in no way reflect Moscow's official stance to Azerbaijan  and its relations with the republic.

She noted that Moscow believes Russian-Azerbaijani ties should  develop on the basis of the existing legal framework, primarily the  Declaration on Allied Interaction signed at the highest level in  Moscow on February 22, 2022.  Zakharova added that the Russian side  will, if necessary, ensure that its citizens are protected in their  legal rights and interests following the decision by the Prosecutor  General's Office of Azerbaijan to issue international arrest warrants  for them.

" At the same time, we cannot fail to note that Azerbaijan's media  space constantly features unfriendly narratives toward Russia. We  have repeatedly invited our Azerbaijani colleagues to discuss  improving the information climate through specialized consultations  in a calm manner, free from politicization and media hype. We expect  such a dialogue to take place," she concluded.

It was also announced yesterday that Chadayev had decided to resign  from his position as advisor to the Russian Minister of Transport on  a voluntary basis. He announced this on his Telegram channel. "You  have to understand one simple thing. Everything I say in podcasts,  write here, or broadcast are solely my personal opinions. I speak as  an expert who is deeply immersed in the topic of drones,  technological sovereignty, and the related political processes. On  the other hand, there is the Russian Ministry of Transport. It is  engaged in fundamental state tasks. In particular, it is building and  developing the North- South international transport corridor,  addressing the most complex issues of uninterrupted transit traffic,  and doing a lot of other unnoticed but critically important work that  underpins the country's economy, including in the Azerbaijani  direction. And the logic of my decision is simple. I do not believe  it is right for someone's personal expert position or public  statements to impact interstate cooperation and create obstacles to  the joint work of states. There is no drama here," he wrote. The  Russian expert community has already sharply criticized the Russian  Foreign Ministry's position on the situation, considering it contrary  to the country's national interests.

Notably, it was reported earlier that Azerbaijan had placed three  Russian public figures—Ivan Knyazev, Semyon Uralov, and Alexey  Chadaev—on its wanted list. They have been accused of making public  calls for terrorism, the violent overthrow of the constitutional  order, and violations of the country's territorial integrity.