Incidents at the Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Do Not Contribute to Normalization of Relations, Zakharova Says

The unblocking of transport and economic routes in the South Caucasus is a priority issue, and all countries in the region, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, are interested in its realization. This was stated by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a weekly briefing while responding to a question about whether the issue of the corridor is being discussed and whether the trilateral working group is still functioning.

According to Zakharova, such agreements are present in the trilateral statements, and the work has been entrusted to the deputy prime ministers of the three countries. Experts have conducted analysis on the necessary measures for restoring communication routes, which practically allows for the phased implementation of joint infrastructure projects in the near future.

“We expect that the trilateral working group will resume its activities in the near future, in accordance with the trilateral agreements established by the leaders, which defined the direction of such work. At the same time, the incidents occurring in certain sections of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border certainly do not contribute to the overall normalization of the backdrop of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Zakharova stated.

The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry called on both parties to exercise restraint and to ease tensions, urging that disputes be resolved exclusively through peaceful, diplomatic means.