Russia's approaches to the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement remain unchanged, Moscow stands for the establishment of lasting peace, ensuring security, and the development of the South Caucasus. Mikhail Kalugin, Director of the Fourth CIS Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Russia, stated this in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to him, Russia continues to stand for the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan in the main directions, including the signing of a peace agreement, unblocking of transport communications, border delimitation, and the development of ties between the two societies.

"It is important to ensure the irreversibility of the peace process through balanced decisions and strengthening mutual trust," Kalugin said.

He noted that the trilateral format with Russia's participation was initially aimed at finding mutually acceptable solutions that take into account the interests of all parties. According to the Russian diplomat, the agreements and developments reached through Moscow’s mediation in 2020-2022 remain relevant.

Kalugin paid special attention to the work of the trilateral commission on unblocking transport and economic ties, which was headed by the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. According to him, by 2023 the parties were close to making concrete decisions.

In particular, the matter concerned the restoration of communication between the main territory of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave through the Syunik Province of Armenia, as well as the unblocking of the Armenian railway infrastructure to gain access to Turkey, Iran, and Russia.

“If Yerevan had not refused joint work, we could have seen the concrete results of the implementation of these agreements on the ground, in the form of built and restored communications in the region, already in 2027,” Kalugin added.

He referred to the words of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, who in April had called the desire not to see Russia in the negotiations on the unblocking of communications a “big mistake.”

Kalugin commented also on the “Trump Route” project in Syunik, stating that it largely repeats the developments of previous years. According to him, at the same time, there are still many questions about the project; in particular, regarding its parameters, the timeframes for the construction and operation of the infrastructure, as well as the expected cargo flows.

“In fact, none of its target indicators have been publicized,” the Russian diplomat said.

At the same time, Russia does not intend to impose its mediation on Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kalugin emphasized.

“We [i.e. Russia] are always ready to respond in a friendly manner to the request of Yerevan and Baku to provide the necessary assistance for the establishment of peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus as soon as possible,” the Russian MFA official stated.