The process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict does not depend on the March 31 elections that were held there. Maria Zakharova, Official Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated this at a weekly briefing.

"There is a statement by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the March 31 elections held in Nagorno-Karabakh," she said in particular.

According to her, the respective starting point for Russia is that the elections are necessary to ensure the normal functioning of the population. At the same time, as per Zakharova, Russia does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state, and its status must be determined through political negotiations.

"Moreover, we [Russia] do not think that the future peace process depends on the mentioned event in any way," Zakharova added.

To note, the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group on the elections in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) states that the Co-Chairs take note of these elections.

Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Artsakh on March 31. And based on their results, it has been announced that a presidential runoff will take place on April 14.