“On June 15, the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan visited Shushi against the background of the Azerbaijani troops’ incursion into Armenia and the violation of the commitments to return the Armenian prisoners of war. Doesn't the Russian side think that the organization of such visits is a sign of psychological pressure on the people of Artsakh and a provocation against the establishment of a fragile peace in the region?” ‘Lurer’ correspondent Mary Egoryan asked Maria Zakharova, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry. She answered:
“We do not think it is right to confuse the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh with Azerbaijan’s bilateral relations or Armenia’s relations with a third country. This is the principle on which we view high-level Turkish-Azerbaijani contacts. We assume that bilateral ties in the region, as well as in the military sphere, should not be built against other states. We support in any way all the steps aimed at the settlement of the Baku-Yerevan, Yerevan-Ankara dialogues. Cooperation in the South Caucasus should be developed on a neighborly basis, taking into account the interests of the countries of the region,” said a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
