Tuesday, May 18 2021 10:15

ArmInfo.Russia will render assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan in resolving tensions on the border, if such a request comes from both states. Russian Deputy  Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko announced to reporters on Monday.

"This is a normal situation when the parties in such an environment  turn to us for help, assistance, mediation, especially since we have  experience in the context of developing a statement dated November 9  and January 11. Therefore, if such an appeal comes from all  participants, and not only from one of the parties, I mean from  Azerbaijan and Armenia, then we will be ready to provide the  assistance that we can, " he said, answering a TASS question.

Rudenko said that the foreign ministers of the member states of the  Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will discuss the  tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Dushanbe on May 19.

"Foreign ministers in Dushanbe are going to discuss all the issues on  the agenda. I do not exclude that this issue will be discussed there.  I think that the main discussion will take place in Dushanbe on the  sidelines of the ministerial meeting," he said.

To note, on May 12 and May 13, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces illegally  entered the territory of the Republic of Armenia in the direction of  Syunik and Gegharkunik, advanced 3.5 km and 2 km inland,  respectively, deployed their units and refuse to leave the territory.   In connection with the current situation, Armenia turned to the CSTO  to assist in finding a solution to this issue.  According to  information circulated in the media as a result of the negotiations  that ended the night before and which took place with the direct  participation of the head of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in  Artsakh Rustam Muradov, the parties agreed on practically the  withdrawal of all Azerbaijani troops from the territory of Armenia.   However, at the Sev lich (Black Lake) in the Syunik region of the  Republic of Armenia, for the time being, one joint  Azerbaijani-Armenian post remains. Negotiations should continue in  the coming days.

Today the acting RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, touching upon the  situation resulting from these actions of Azerbaijan, instead of  looking for a solution to the problem, again began to look for the  guilty.  He once again stressed that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces  must leave the territory of Armenia, and added that the current  situation is a crisis and is fraught with the risk of a new  escalation.