Russian Foreign Ministry sees NATO trace in sending EU observation  mission to Armenia

ArmInfo. The Russian Foreign Ministry sees a trace of NATO in sending an EU observation mission to Armenia

Thus, on January 27, during a briefing, official representative of  the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in response to a  request to comment on the dispatch of European observers to Armenia,  recalled the statement made yesterday by the Russian Foreign  Ministry.

In addition, she noted that the deployment of representatives of the  European Union in the border regions of Armenia, which has turned  into "an affiliate" of NATO and the USA and pursues a policy of  confrontation in the CIS, may only bring geopolitical confrontation  to the region and exacerbate existing contradictions.

"Actually, under the "name" of the EU, an attempt is made to hide the  obvious, real role of NATO in various global affairs. Acting through  the EU, the Alliance removes the issue of assigning tasks by the  military bloc," she said, recalling the existence of many agreements  linking the EU and NATO.

At the same time, she expressed her conviction that the EU as a  political instrument has been supplanted, and there is no place for  politics in the form of diplomacy in organization, but only for  politics in the form of military-political efforts. "Efforts with a  minus sign in this case," she added.

It should be noted that on the eve of the Russian Foreign Ministry  issued a sharp statement on the fact of sending a long-term EU  observation mission to Armenia. "If Brussels were sincerely  interested in peace in Transcaucasia, they would agree with  Azerbaijan on the terms of their mission's work," official Moscow  said in a statement.

"The European Union's attempts to gain a foothold in Armenia at any  cost to push back Russia's mediation efforts may harm the fundamental  interests of Armenians and Azerbaijanis in their efforts to return to  the peaceful development of the region. We are convinced that the key  factor for stability and security in the region for the foreseeable  future remains the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed on the  basis of the statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and  Armenia dated November 9, 2020, as well as the Russian border guards  serving on the Armenian borders. They will act depending on the  behavior of the EU observers, taking into account the development of  the situation "on the ground", the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.   "We note that Yerevan, without bringing the work in the direction of  the CSTO mission to its logical conclusion, preferred to make a  choice in favor of the EU. If Armenian allies continue to be  interested in using CSTO's potential, the mission can be quickly  deployed in Armenia.  As before, we believe that the most stable and  long-term basis for the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization and, in  general, improvement of the situation in the region is the strict and  consistent implementation of the tripartite agreements of the leaders  of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia dated November 9, 2020, January 11,  November 26, 2021 and October 31, 2022, incl. on unblocking all  transport and economic ties, delimitation and demarcation of the  Armenian-Azerbaijani border, agreeing on the parameters of a peace  treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, developing trilateral contacts  between the public, expert circles and parliamentarians. The Russian  Federation is ready to do is best to facilitate this process," the  Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.