Lavrov Displeased with Armenian Side's Political Stance: What Statement Did the Russian Foreign Minister Make?

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed the future status of Artsakh during a press conference, noting that after the 44-day war, there was an understanding that the issue of Artsakh's status could be left for the future.

"Based on this, Russia formulated its version of the peace treaty, which was presented to the parties in the spring. This sentence was included in it. By the way, the Azerbaijani side said that it was ready to approve everything, but the status issue needed further development. When they met in Sochi at the end of October (the Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan), we wanted to return to this issue and try to understand to what extent our partners are willing to operate on the gentlemanly understanding that all issues should be resolved while the status issue should be left for the future. However, when they—President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan—came to Sochi, they brought the same document from Prague, according to which they wanted to sign a peace treaty based on the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration. And the Alma-Ata Declaration regarding the establishment of the CIS states that the borders between new states will be based on the administrative borders that existed between the former USSR republics, according to which Artsakh is part of Azerbaijan. Therefore, when our Armenian partners tell us to let Russia confirm its proposals regarding the status of Artsakh, you themselves understand that this does not come from the negotiations, but from a different reality," Lavrov stated.