MFA: Armenia highly commends Russia`s efforts aimed at establishing  peace and stability in the region

ArmInfo. ''We highly commend Russia's efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region.

The Armenian side has always supported the humanitarian contacts between the societies of the region, which should be based on mutual respect and tolerance and be aimed at creating mutual trust, Armenia's Foreign  Ministry Spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan stated answering to the  question of the news agencies related to the statement of the  representative of Russia's Foreign Ministry that the Russian side has  always supported the implementation of the humanitarian contacts  between the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies and whether there are  any prerequisites for such programs?

Naghdalyan added that certainly, relevant prerequisites should be  established for such programs. The statements of the leadership of  Azerbaijan in recent days demonstrate that Azerbaijan is not yet  ready for that, she noted. Furthermore, creating obstacles for the  repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war, issuing a stamp  glorifying the ethnic cleansing of Armenians, as well as the  consistent threats being voiced by President Aliyev attest to the  fact that Azerbaijan is challenging the trust-building efforts of  international mediators. 

The provocative statements made by the President of Azerbaijan in  Shushi, as well as the attempts to present the Holy Savior  Ghazanchetsots Church, which had been targeted during the war, as a  "war prize and symbol of victory" are particularly deplorable. 

These realities prove that the conflict is still far from being  resolved, and the peace process is necessary to establish lasting  peace in the region.