The Best Option Would Be to Exchange Prisoners on a 'Everyone for Everyone' Basis - Zakharova

Negotiations for the return of prisoners continue in accordance with the trilateral agreement between the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan dated November 9, as well as the agreements reached on January 11. This was announced today during a press briefing by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“The Russian side is providing support on this issue also through its peacekeeping mission. As emphasized by the President and Foreign Minister of Russia, the optimal option for a prompt resolution of this issue would be the exchange of prisoners based on the 'everyone for everyone' principle,” she noted.

Addressing questions related to the work of the humanitarian response center in Nagorno-Karabakh and the statement by the Russian Foreign Minister that the center should become international, Zakharova pointed out that everything related to humanitarian assistance for the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh falls under the jurisdiction of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

“Russian specialists have been working in the region as part of the humanitarian mission since November, providing medical assistance, demining, and so on. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations is closely cooperating with both the Armenian and Russian sides, including on issues related to the humanitarian response center,” she added.

Furthermore, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are preparing to visit Nagorno-Karabakh. “The visit of the co-chairs to Nagorno-Karabakh is scheduled; it is on their agenda, but the exact dates of the visit have not yet been determined, and details are currently being coordinated with all interested parties,” she said.