Lachin Corridor Controlled by Russian Peacekeepers: Zakharova on Aliyev's Threats

Issues related to Azerbaijan-French relations should be commented on by representatives of those countries: Azerbaijan and France. This was stated by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a weekly press briefing, addressing the threats made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev against French presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse.

In an interview on January 12, Ilham Aliyev threatened to arrest a French politician who had visited Artsakh in December, claiming that if they had known Pecresse was going to Nagorno-Karabakh, they "wouldn't have let her through." A journalist inquired how Moscow views the Azerbaijani president's statement and whether such actions are technically and physically possible in the area under the responsibility of Russian peacekeeping forces.

In response to the question, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded about the order for visits to the territories located in the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, as stipulated by the trilateral statement adopted on November 9, 2020, regarding the cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to the agreement, following the 44-day war in 2020, the Russian peacekeeping contingent is also deployed along the Lachin corridor. According to point 6 of the November 9 statement, the Lachin corridor is under the control of Russian peacekeepers, while Azerbaijan guarantees the safety of citizens, vehicles, and cargo movement along the Lachin corridor.

"The command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent has established a procedure for visits to the peacekeeping operation zone, including for foreign citizens, employees of international organizations, missions, and others. This procedure is well known to both the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides. In particular, according to this procedure, prior and proper notification about such visits must be given to the Russian peacekeepers. This is once again our fundamental approach," emphasized Maria Zakharova, reminding of the provisions of the trilateral statement.

The statements by Aliyev have been condemned not only by the French media and society but also by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who stated that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's remarks regarding Valerie Pecresse, the central region leader of France's Île-de-France and candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, are unacceptable. Valerie Pecresse, who is running in the French presidential elections scheduled for April 2022, visited Armenia in December, and subsequently traveled to Artsakh, where she met with Artsakh's President Arayik Harutyunyan and Foreign Minister Davit Babayan.