Russia is ready to provide consultative assistance to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border delimitation commission, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on 25 May.
"We have repeatedly said that Russia is ready to provide consultative assistance to the bilateral commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This is fixed in the statement the leaders of the three countries issued after a meeting in Sochi on November 26th, 2021," Zakharova said at a press briefing. She said Russia has unique expertise in delimitation and settlement of border disputes in the post-Soviet space. "We have the necessary cartographic materials at our disposal, and we will be happy to share our experience with Azerbaijani and Armenian friends," the diplomat said. Zakharova reminded that Russia's strategic goal is to turn the South Caucasus into a zone of stability and prosperity and to facilitate this process. "One of the key tasks in this way is the comprehensive normalisation of relations between Baku and Yerevan, the establishment of lasting peace. The efforts in this direction are based on the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan," she said. According to her, Russia is providing comprehensive assistance to partners from both Baku and Yerevan on all tracks, including unblocking transport links, delimitation of the border, establishing a social dialogue, and developing a peace treaty.
Zakharova also touched on intensified efforts by EU representatives in this direction. "Yes, we see persistent attempts by the EU to wedge itself into the process of implementing the trilateral agreements. We hope that Brussels will help to implement them, and not try to play geopolitical games. We do not want that," she said.
Earlier, Zakharova stated that Russia is hoping that actual work on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani boundary will begin soon. “We have been arguing for the establishment of a commission to delimit the Armenian-Azerbaijani boundary and subsequent delineation with Russia's advising help,” she said at a press conference. Zakharova also addressed the event on May 7th in which Azerbaijani forces opened fire on the Sotk mine in Armenia, injuring one of its workers. She stated that the delimitation commission should be established as soon as possible to avoid further border incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan. "We are certain that the commission's work on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border should be initiated as soon as possible to avoid any border incidents," she stated. Within this framework, Zakharova added, confidence-building measures might be established, such as the formation of contact groups to maintain a stable situation in border regions.
