It seems to me that you have seen many times how the two countries—Baku at all levels and Yerevan at all levels—have highly appreciated the mediating role of Russia at various phases of the resolution of the situation. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated this at Wednesday’s press briefing.

This is how Zakharova responded an Armenian reporter's question regarding the statement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who had said that all the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have spoken in favor of Armenia for 30 years, and that the great powers that are part of the OSCE Minsk Group—and Russia was one of them—stated that the conflict has no military solution, but that Azerbaijan was purposefully preparing and was able to do it. In addition, Aliyev had said that the 44-day war of 2020 and the Azerbaijani attack on Nagorno-Karabakh—as a result of which its Armenian population was forcibly displaced from there—is not only a defeat for Armenia, but also a bitter and humiliating defeat for those who stood with Armenia.

"As for the Minsk group, you know, in general, we [i.e. Russia] ourselves were dissatisfied with its work. We criticized it to a much greater extent, especially after the Westerners began to block work there and openly expressed that position.

The positive that existed in the Minsk Group was largely based on Russian developments. They were also reflected in the trilateral agreements between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which were also highly appreciated by the two capitals. And when the tricks of the Westerners started, let me remind [you] that in February 2022, the Minsk Group was ‘buried’ by the hands of the presidents of the Western countries.

It was already obvious that they are determined—I don't know in what position they stand, behind whom and for what—but they are clearly determined not for settlement, but for completely different things: politicization, promotion of their own interests.

But this has nothing to do with us [i.e. Russia]. Therefore, the Minsk Group received a harsher treatment by us. And we made a great contribution both to the work of this group and to the normalization of this situation in general, and this contribution has been repeatedly appreciated at the highest level in both countries," said the Russian MFA spox.

Maria Zakharova added one can criticize her words: "to say that at first you scolded the Minsk Group, but before that you talked about its efforts."

"Where there was positive, we [i.e. Russia] talked about the positive, where the negative began to dominate, we started talking about the fact that the group no longer works, that its activities are being blocked, artificially being blocked by the Westerners. There are different historical moments, and there are different situations and contexts. It seems to me that it is obvious that Russia's mediating role—and this is recorded in the public statements of both Baku and Yerevan at different historical phases—was highly appreciated by them," added the Russian MFA spox.