Fundamental Disagreements Exist Between Baku and Yerevan Over the Status of Nagorno-Karabakh, Says Zakharova

Supporting Yerevan and Baku in the preparation of a peace agreement, the Russian side is guided by recommendations on the fundamental principles for establishing interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. This was announced today at a press briefing by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also emphasized that there are fundamental disagreements between Baku and Yerevan regarding the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“I would like to remind you that these were prepared in Baku and received a constructive response from Yerevan. We believe these are a good basis for coordinating positions. There are fundamental disagreements between Baku and Yerevan regarding the status issue. We see our role in supporting the rapprochement of the positions of Yerevan and Baku,” Zakharova stated.

According to her, it is crucial to adhere to the letter and spirit of the trilateral agreements in the process of resolving Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. “Everything is written there, including the attitudes towards each other. It is equally important to refrain from confrontational rhetoric and resolve all issues through political and diplomatic means,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman noted.

It is worth recalling that the last two meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were organized with the mediation of Charles Michel, the President of the European Council. The first meeting took place on December 14 of last year, the second on April 6 of this year, both in Brussels. During the latest negotiations, the parties agreed to create a bilateral commission for border delimitation and demarcation by the end of April. This refers to a working group that is intended to initiate peace negotiations between Yerevan and Baku.