Yerevan’s attempts to shift responsibility for Karabakh are on its conscience — diplomat
Maria Zakharova underscored that Russia’s main goal is achievement of peace, stability and surmounting of disagreements, but this can only done within one’s area of responsibility
MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Russia will leave Armenia’s attempts to put responsibility for the security of Nagorno-Karabakh on third countries on the conscience of Armenian authorities, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing Thursday.
"We view the remarks made by Armenian leadership as a continuation of the course, taken during the October 2022 summit in Prague under the EU aegis. Thus, we leave attempts to put responsibility for the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh on thirds countries on Armenia’s conscience - namely the leadership of Armenia," she said, commenting on the statement made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that Russia is a guarantor of security of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Zakharova underscored that Russia’s main goal is achievement of peace, stability and surmounting of disagreements, but this can only done within one’s area of responsibility.
"All obligations of our country are written down clearly. […] They are written down in the November 9, 2020, trilateral statement of leaders Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia. One must simply open this document and see, which obligations our country has, and which it does not. And everything will become rather simple. Russian peacekeepers do everything they can in order to prevent an escalation and to stabilize the situation on the ground, and they also do it within their area of responsibility," the spokeswoman said.
Earlier on Thursday, Pashinyan noted the merit of Russian peacekeepers in preventing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, caused by Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, from spiraling into a catastrophe. He added that, in 2020, Russia took upon itself the role of a guarantor of security of the people and civilian infrastructure of Nagorno-Karabakh.