Wednesday, May 26 2021 19:06

ArmInfo.The Russian side is closely involved in the resolution of the incident on the  Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This was stated on May 26 during a  weekly briefing by official representative of the Russian Foreign  Ministry Maria Zakharova, referring to the situation on the borders  of Armenia, as a result of the actions of the Azerbaijani Armed  Forces.

She recalled that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group -  representatives of Russia, France and the United States - are  exclusively engaged in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, adding that  this is spelled out in their mandate. In this vein, she stated that  the statement by the OSCE Minsk Group on April 13 indicates the need  to pay attention to the achievement of a final, comprehensive and  sustainable settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

"In this regard, an appeal was made to Azerbaijan and Armenia to  resume at the earliest opportunity a high- level political dialogue  under the auspices of the co-chairs. The issues that require  additional efforts are also highlighted. These are, in particular,  the return of all prisoners of war and other detainees, in accordance  with the provisions of international humanitarian law; exchange of  all data necessary for effective demining of conflict regions;  lifting restrictions on access to Nagorno-Karabakh, including for  representatives of international humanitarian organizations;  preserving and protecting religious and cultural heritage; and  encouraging direct contacts and cooperation between communities  affected by the conflict, as well as other measures to build trust  between people, "said Zakharova.

At the same time, she stressed that the format of the co-chairs  enjoys broad international support and it is within its framework  that a political settlement of the Karabakh conflict should take  place. "As you know, the disagreements between Yerevan and Baku  remain significant, especially on the status of Nagorno- Karabakh. 

As you know, after the well-known events of September-November 2020,  both countries are at the beginning of the path to restoring a  full-fledged dialogue and mutual trust," she said, adding that the  Russian Federation is making active mediation efforts to normalize  relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, stabilize the situation in  the South Caucasus and turn it into a zone of prosperity.  

According to the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the  peacekeepers of the Russian Federation guarantee peace and security  in Nagorno-Karabakh. "The trilateral working group, co-chaired by the  Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, is engaged  in unblocking transport and economic ties in the region. The Russian  side is closely involved in resolving the incident on the  Azerbaijani-Armenian border and helping to reduce tensions," she  said, adding that Moscow maintains regular contacts with Baku and  Yerevan at the highest level, operational communication has been  established between the defense ministries, and of course between the  foreign ministries.  

At the same time, Zakharova believes that the border incident is not  directly related to the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict. "The main reason  is the lack of international legal registration of the Azerbaijani-  Armenian border, which has been inherited since the times of the  USSR. We proceed from the fact that such situations should be  resolved exclusively by peaceful negotiation. As a long-term  solution, we see the launch of the process of delimitation of the  Azerbaijani-Armenian border with its subsequent demarcation.  Russia  is ready to help in every possible way, "concluded Zakharova.