Brussels Commission Meets Without a Map, Lavrov Comments on Armenian-Azerbaijani Issues

After the Western countries dismantled the OSCE Minsk Group, they are attempting to engage in Russia’s mediation efforts towards the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This statement was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a press conference, as reported by RIA Novosti.

Lavrov noted that Russia is assisting Armenia and Azerbaijan in the issue of border delineation and will support the coordination of a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku. “At the same time, we have witnessed the frantic attempts of other players to get involved in these processes. We have had no problems with that. The only thing we have noted in our contacts with Yerevan and Baku is that after the start of the military special operation, the West has officially announced through Washington and Paris that they will not participate with Russia in any capacity or format. By doing so, they have declared the end of the OSCE Minsk Group's activities,” said Lavrov.

He added that both the French, the Americans, and the European Union are generally attempting to take and appropriate the agreements reached by the parties with Russian participation. “For example, they are holding a meeting of the delimitation commission in Brussels. Well, both the Armenians and the Azerbaijanis are polite people; they go there. But how can one discuss border delimitation without having the maps of the former Soviet republics in hand, which are only in the Russian General Staff? I find it hard to imagine,” the minister added.

Recall that on November 16, Prime Minister Pashinyan announced in the National Assembly that the Republic of Armenia has two approaches to signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan: a detailed agreement and a framework agreement model. The framework agreement approach is when the framework is outlined without major specifics. Pashinyan noted that experience shows that when issues are solved too detailed, difficulties can arise. This is why Armenia proposed to sign a framework peace agreement, which is an accepted practice. Armenia must also work towards this path.