ArmInfo. The incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border are caused by the lack of its international registration, which is supplemented by the lack of mutual trust of the parties. This opinion was expressed on June 17 at a weekly briefing by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
She drew attention to the fact that Russia continues to provide active mediation efforts aimed at de- escalating the situation. "Close coordination has been established with Baku and Yerevan through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and the border services. Tensions have been reduced in recent weeks. The corresponding consultations on the settlement of the border dispute will continue. As a sustainable and long-term solution to the problem, we see the earliest start of work on the delimitation of the border between the two countries, with its subsequent demarcation, "Zakharova said, declaring Russia's readiness to provide maximum assistance to this issue.
At the same time, referring to the illegal detention of Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijan and the execution of trials over them, Zakharova stressed that the topic of prisoners of war and other detained persons remains relevant, including in the context of the implementation of the statement of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan of November 9, 2020.
"We welcome the transfer of 15 Armenian citizens by the Azerbaijani side to Yerevan on June 12. And we stand for the final exchange according to the formula" all for all "without any preconditions. At the same time, we believe it is important to solve other humanitarian problems, in particular, those related to demining and the provision of maps of minefields.
It is worth noting that more than two hundred Armenian prisoners of war and civilians continue to be illegally held in Azerbaijani captivity. According to clause 8 of the tripartite statement of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia of November 9, 2020, all prisoners of war and prisoners of war were to be released immediately and without preconditions. Meanwhile, against the background of the inaction of the international community, Azerbaijan continues to speculate on these issues and receive dividends. In addition, the Azerbaijani authorities are carrying out staged trials against the Armenians, who have been held hostage by Azerbaijan for 7 months already.