Russia welcomes the meeting between the representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the border, stated Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, on Wednesday.
"During this meeting, the parties agreed on methodological and organizational issues, preparing for the start of practical work on border delimitation. From our [i.e. Russia] side, we are ready to provide all assistance during the direct border delimitation work. This implies the provision of necessary cartographic materials; in particular, this was confirmed yesterday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart," said Zakharova.
"Regarding the tripartite working group for unblocking [regional] transport communications, which was co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of the Russian Federation, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as we had noted earlier, significant progress has been made within it. If there were a political will on both sides, could we quickly complete the work of agreeing on specific projects and carry out substantive activities? We believe that further delay in reaching agreements within the framework of the tripartite working group will work against the interests of the countries of the region, including Armenia," she added.
Speaking about the peace treaty expected to be signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Zakharova reminded again that Russia sent invitations to these countries for a meeting within the framework of multilateral events in Moscow and third countries.
"Baku has always confirmed our willingness to hold negotiation; unfortunately, we cannot say the same about our Armenian partners. Perhaps they believe that their new advisers from Washington, Brussels, and Paris will be able to offer something more interesting and effective. I don't know. I believe you always have to look at previous experience and the experience of your neighbors. We all saw what the meetings in the EU, including in Prague and Brussels, led to. Perhaps the Armenian people are not fully aware because they are not informed about everything... So that the situation does not repeat itself because now, under the guise of ‘best friends,’ they will recommend something to Armenia, which will later lead to another surprise...
“It is at the instigation of the West that the rights and security issues of Karabakh Armenians are not mentioned in any way in the relevant documents. Does anyone remember that now that they want to trust western advisors again? But if these points were stated, then now there would be no questions about what to do for the people who left their homes, relying on the Yerevan authorities, who promised them a lot—again at the suggestion of the Westerners.
“But their rights were neither clarified nor discussed—again at the instigation of the Westerners. How much and where do the Westerners have to prove themselves, so that it becomes clear that they will never act in the interest of the people of other countries?" concluded Zakharova.
