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Russia ready to organize trilateral meetings with Armenian, Azerbaijani top diplomats

Maria Zakharova called for the soonest resumption of work on all tracks of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. Moscow reiterates its readiness to organize a trilateral meeting of the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani top diplomats, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

"The Russian side reiterates its readiness to organize talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Moscow brokered by [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov. We have informed both Baku and Yerevan about this. We have spoken publicly about it. We think that the difficult situation on the ground should not be an obstacle or an excuse for freezing the negotiating process," she said.

She called for the soonest resumption of work on all tracks of Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization, including unblocking transport communications, border delimitation, peace treaty issues, and civil society exchanges.

"As for the situation in the Lachin corridor, the Russian defense ministry and the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent are in touch with all parties concerned. Vigorous efforts continue to normalize the situation. Unlike the majority of external players, who confine themselves to statements and calls for de-escalation, the Russian side is trying to find real solutions and is extending humanitarian assistance on the ground," she stressed. "We call for the total unblocking of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the November 9, 2020 statement by the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders and urge Baku and Yerevan to demonstrate the political will to settle existing differences as soon as possible."

The Russian-mediated meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers on a peace treaty was initially scheduled for December 23, 2022 in Moscow. The two leaders agreed to such a meeting and everything, according to the Russian foreign ministry, was ready for it, but Armenia canceled the visit by its Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at the last moment.

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Foreign policy Armenia Azerbaijan Maria Zakharova

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