ArmInfo. The detention of two residents in Nagorno-Karabakh complicates the search for already difficult but necessary solutions, compromises and options. This was stated on August 2 at a briefing by official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, commenting on the abduction of Vagif Khachatryan and Rashid Beglaryan by the Azerbaijani side, at a checkpoint near the Hakari bridge.
According to Zakharova, these actions aggravate the situation. "We saw completely opposite assessments of the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides, but in any case, we proceed from the need for reconciliation both in the context of the regulation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and ensuring the rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh," Zakharova said.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry also commented on the question of how it is possible to conduct negotiations between representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh against the backdrop of these abductions and the lack of security guarantees for the Armenian negotiators. According to Zakharova, Moscow supports the negotiations between Baku and Stepanakert. This topic is on the agenda of negotiations with interested parties. Russian peacekeepers have previously helped organize the meetings of the two delegations and are ready to continue providing the necessary assistance to that process. "Russia does not put forward any preconditions and focuses its efforts on bringing closer approaches, which are currently seriously diverging against the backdrop of escalating tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh," Zakharova stressed.
Answering the question about what is being done to reopen the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, especially against the background of the fact that public calls do not work, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Moscow is working with the parties to the conflict, and insists on the need to urgently reopen the Lachin corridor and ensure normal conditions for the local population. "In this matter, much depends on the political will and readiness of the parties to compromise steps. Only in this case, the tension can be removed>, said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.