Russia Expresses Concern Over Any Escalation or Tension at the Border - Zakharova

Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, addressed the situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh during a weekly press briefing. She specifically noted:

“Russia, which has close ties with both Azerbaijan and Armenia, pays special attention to the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the situation in Karabakh, where our peacekeeping troops are located. Russia continues to make a significant contribution to maintaining stability, establishing peace, and resolving humanitarian issues, including the return of prisoners of war, refugees, and the exchange of dead bodies.”

“We support building trust between Baku and Yerevan, and we continue to work to secure the entry of CSTO, UN, and UNESCO missions into the region,” she added.

Zakharova emphasized that the Russian Foreign Ministry is, of course, concerned about any manifestation of escalation or tension in specific areas of the border, as this has an extremely negative effect on the regional situation and does not contribute to building dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia, leading to unjustified losses among the populations of both countries.

The Russian Foreign Ministry representative expressed condolences to the family of the fallen Armenian soldier and wished a swift recovery to those affected by border incidents.

“Our position is well known. The resolution of border incidents must take place exclusively through political and diplomatic means. It is necessary to refrain from confrontational rhetoric and the use of force,” said Zakharova, emphasizing that systematic and diligent work is needed to find mutually acceptable compromises.

She mentioned that Moscow is offering this approach to both Yerevan and Baku. “We are convinced that a stable de-escalation can ensure the immediate start of border delimitation between Azerbaijan and Armenia, followed by demarcation. We are ready to bolster those efforts with the cartographic data available to us. The Russian side has prepared several documents that can bring the dialogue into a constructive channel. Currently, contacts on this topic continue between the defense ministries and border services of the three countries,” Zakharova stated.

Commenting on the separate meetings between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia with the Russian president, Zakharova highlighted that the issues of the regional situation were a key topic of the negotiations. “The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, despite the difficult and large-scale nature of the existing problems in the region, have affirmed their determination to find optimal solutions and have expressed their commitment to consistently and comprehensively implement the agreements signed on November 9 of last year, which halted the bloodshed, as well as the agreements that opened the prospects for unblocking transport routes and communications in the South Caucasus on January 11 of this year,” Zakharova noted.

Additionally, the Russian Foreign Ministry has drawn attention to the work of the trilateral working group, which has held several rounds of discussions. “We expect that in the near future, the working group will be able to resume its meetings. This will enable the phased implementation of joint infrastructure projects that serve the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia and the entire South Caucasus,” she concluded.