The West is attempting to take the process of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations out of the regional context and subordinate it to its own interests. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated this at Thursday’s press briefing.

She noted that while Armenia and Azerbaijan are striving for constructive and mutually acceptable solutions with the support of regional partners—Russia, Iran and Turkey, Western players are interfering in this process and ignoring the interests of the countries of the region.

"Purely political interests are hidden under the guise of another ‘good initiative’ from Brussels. The West aims to shift the reconciliation process between Baku and Yerevan to its side in order to once again declare political successes. The West's actions can lead to a security imbalance in the region and a violation of the principle of regional self-sufficiency," Zakharova said.

Moscow, according to her, also notes Washington's attempts to interfere in the discussion of the task of unblocking of transport routes in the region. The US has presented its "unique" vision of the solution to this matter. But as Zakharova noted, Russia is convinced that Washington is not able to make proposals that would go beyond the agreements already reached within the framework of the trilateral working group co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

"The work of the group has stalled due to the destructive influence of the Western side on the positions of the Armenian authorities," added Maria Zakharova.

The Russian MFA spox recalled that the transport infrastructure operating in the region meets CIS standards, and that the norms of the EAEU and the single customs territory are the additional guidelines for Armenia.