Creation of a favorable atmosphere only facilitates the negotiation process over the Karabakh conflict, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Asked to comment on whether Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev may intensify the negotiation process within OSCE Minsk Group, Zakharova urged not to confuse formats.

“Please, do not confuse formats, there are formats of communication between heads of state, which involve both bilateral communication and multilateral communication. Of course, the creation of a favorable atmosphere only contributes to the advancement of the negotiation process, and not only contributes, but is the most important guarantee for the solution, including the Karabakh dispute, but do not confuse formats,” Zakharova noted.

As reported earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev,  Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during live stream on his Facebook page.

“After the football match, the Russian president initiated a small meeting in the format of leaders of the CIS countries. The meeting was also attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. And the Russian president introduced us to each other. We just said hello, there was no other conversation or discussion between us,” Pashinyan said.