Instead of Engaging in Rhetoric, the Armenian Side Should Continue Joint Work - Russian Foreign Ministry

It is difficult to assess the Armenian side's stance when official statements from Yerevan on the same issue significantly differ. This statement was made by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in response to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's comments on January 10.

“During the aforementioned press conference, the Prime Minister of Armenia spoke about the intention to sign a document based on Russian proposals while simultaneously expressing a preference for a ‘comprehensive solution’ to the conflict promoted by the West. Earlier, comments by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov detailed the chronology of Russian efforts within both bilateral formats and international mechanisms for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, including the implementation of the November 9, 2020 statement by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia and the accompanying trilateral agreements.

When developing a peace treaty with Baku, Yerevan's agreement to rely on the 1991 Almaty Declaration, which was reaffirmed in the joint statement following the summit held in Prague in October 2022, fundamentally altered the logic of the negotiation process. The Almaty Declaration affirms the inviolability of borders that existed between the republics of the Soviet Union. At that time, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was part of the Azerbaijan SSR. Certainly, this circumstance is very difficult to ignore in the peace process between Baku and Yerevan.

I would also like to remind that a meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan was scheduled in Moscow on December 23, 2022, regarding the peace treaty. The leaders of both countries had agreed to it. Everything was prepared for its implementation. However, the Armenian leadership canceled the visit of Foreign Minister A.S. Mirzoyan at the last moment. This disrupted the discussion not only on the peace treaty but also on other urgent issues regarding Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, including the situation around the Lachin Corridor.

If the Armenian partners are genuinely interested in resolving these issues through the comprehensive implementation of high-level trilateral agreements, rather than engaging in rhetoric, it is necessary to continue joint work. The Russian proposal to provide a platform for Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations around the peace treaty remains in force,” the Russian Foreign Ministry writes, referencing Zakharova's statement.