Speaking at a briefing yesterday (3 November), the official representative of the Russian ministry of foreign affairs, Maria Zakharova, answered questions about the upcoming one year anniversary of the signing of the trilateral statement on Nagorno-Karabakh, and announced that Russia supports the 3 + 3 format put forward by Azerbaijan and Turkey
Asked about the 9 November anniversary of the trilateral statement, Zakharova announced that she would give more detailed comments next week, on the date of the adoption of the statement. However, she added that in the meantime, work was continuing in all areas, and that the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were unanimous in their statements that the situation in the region had stabilised over the past year. She further noted that “the ceasefire is generally respected. The role of the Russian peacekeepers is highly valued in Baku and Yerevan. Individual incidents will be settled through well-functioning channels of interaction from both sides”.
On the issue of the unblocking of transport links, she reminded participants that the eighth meeting of the Trilateral Working Group was recently held in Moscow under the co-chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Regarding the resolution of border incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan, she said she saw the solution as the earliest possible start to the delimitation and demarcation of the border.
Asked about whether we can expect the signing of new documents, Zakharova stated that she had “no information about the possibility of signing new documents yet”.
Finally, she noted that Russia supports the creation of a 3 +3 consultative regional mechanism put forward by Azerbaijan and Turkey, which would unite the countries of the South Caucasus with Russia, Turkey and Iran. She stated that while there were still many unresolved questions with the new format, it could “meet the interests of all prospective participants” and “offer a solution to both old problems and cope with new challenges”.
source: commonspace.eu and agencies
photo: M. V. Zakharova at a briefing on 3 November; Official website of the ministry of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation