Zakharova Responds to Pashinyan's Statement

Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, has responded to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement regarding the trilateral declaration made by the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020.

Pashinyan pointed out, "There is an attempt to present the November 9, 2020 declaration as providing communication security on Armenian territory by third parties. This understanding has no connection to reality." He emphasized that in fact, this function is reserved for Armenia. He cited the 9th point of the trilateral declaration, but did not quote it in full, omitting the concluding part that states control of transportation communications is carried out by the Russian FSB Border Service. "Does this not mean that the Armenian authorities want to completely annul this document, and what could that lead to?" he remarked.

In response, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that speculation should not be made, and the question should simply be directed to official Yerevan. "We have not heard about such a desire. It has not been stated through either diplomatic channels or publicly; I have not seen such a thing. What we see, however, are repeated attempts to exploit existing documents and their provisions. Nevertheless, this is about international law, those documents that have been signed by the parties, to which they regularly refer. Not only that, documents are referenced and cited which are being implemented. And they are being realized, you know, not by the wave of a magic wand, but by those people who contribute, who sacrifice not only their time but sometimes even their lives to make what is written a reality. Therefore, I think it is irresponsible, if not frivolous, to refer to documents in such a manner," Zakharova said.

She added, "Among other things, previous generations have paid a tremendous price for the current phase, seemingly ignoring the essence, abandoning the written word in favor of some current conjuncture of the moment."

"Nonetheless, we must respectfully regard those who, sometimes at the cost of their own lives, so to speak, brought the resolution moment closer, fought for peace in different situations, but nevertheless wanted a peaceful future for their own region and beyond. And we must respect the efforts of those who have developed the relevant provisions of the respective documents for the sake of peace and stability in the region, not just play with words. This is the most important thing that responsible politicians should not treat irresponsibly, the documents formulated as a result of a complex historical process. But if you wish for your question to receive an answer specifically regarding what you mentioned, please let us know," Zakharova concluded.