Maria Zakharova on procedure for moving along Lachin corridor

ArmInfo. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova  reminded of the procedure of moving through the Lachin corridor.

Thus, on January 20, during a weekly briefing, in response to a  request to express Moscow's position in connection with the threats  of the President of Azerbaijan against French presidential candidate  Valerie Pecresse  for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh, Zakharova recalled  that assessments on Azerbaijani-French relations can be given by  representatives of two countries - France and Azerbaijan.

At the same time, referring to the passage through the Lachin  corridor, which is coordinated by Russian peacekeepers, the  representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that the  Russian peacekeeping contingent will be deployed along the line of  contact and in the Lachin corridor, in accordance with the statement  of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, signed on November  9, 2020 a complete ceasefire and cessation of all types of  hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  

"In  accordance with paragraph 6 of this statement, the Lachin  corridor is under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Azerbaijan  guarantees the safety of the movement of citizens, vehicles and goods  in both directions along the Lachin corridor. The command of the  Russian peacekeeping contingent has determined the procedure for  visiting, including by foreign citizens and representatives of  international organizations, the area of the peacekeeping operation,  which is well known to the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides. In  particular, provision is made for advance and proper notification of  Russian peacekeepers of such trips.  This is the basic approach",  summed up Zakharova. 

It  should be noted that on January 12, Ilham Aliyev, in an interview  with local TV channels, criticized the behavior of Pecresse . "If we  had known about the last illegal visit of Valerie Pecresse, we would  not have let her go back," he said. Visiting Athens, Valerie Pecresse  reacted sharply to Aliyev's words, noting the seriousness of such a  threat to a French presidential candidate. The French Foreign  Ministry also stood up for Pecresse, noting that the position on the  inadmissibility of such behavior has already been conveyed to the  Azerbaijani ambassador in the country.  

Meanwhile, as Le Figarowrites, Christophe Castaner , head of Macron's  "La Republique En Marche"  faction  indicated that "Emmanuel Macron  will always respond to threats against political figures," and  Valerie Pecresse will not be an exception. "He does it all the time,"  Castaner added.  "Valerie Pecresse made remarks that the Azerbaijani  side did not like, but she has every right to do so," the politician  said. On Monday, Le Figaro contacted the Elysee Palace.  Administration officials said a response would be ready soon.