Referring to the possible activation of the trilateral cooperation format of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Maria Zakharova, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated at the weekly briefing, that any state has the right to participate in those international formats that derive from its interests and are not directed against third countries, and also take into account balance of power.
“If the Yerevan-Tbilisi-Baku trilateral format contributes to the settlement of differences in the South Caucasus, strengthening of stability and security in the region, then we can only welcome this initiative. We have stated that many times. And if behind this initiative are Washington and Brussels, which are trying to disrupt the implementation of the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, then that is a different matter. Those trilateral agreements are at the basis of the settlement of Yerevan-Baku relations,” said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Zakharova also spoke about the ‘3+3’ regional format, which, she believes, is also aimed at overcoming existing differences in the region. “This format has great potential to contribute to the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement,” Zakharova emphasized.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry also noted that Russian peacekeepers ensure peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian border guards are also present on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Speaking about the deployment of the EU observation mission in the territory of Armenia, Zakharova emphasized that the goal of Brussels is to change the security system of the region.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated: “We are open to dialogue with Armenian partners to discuss the improvement of security mechanisms in the South Caucasus, both in bilateral and multilateral formats, including within the CSTO framework.”
She also informed that on February 16, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a meeting with the heads of executive structures of the CIS, CSTO, EEU and the Union State. International and regional issues will be on the agenda.
