Concerned about the escalation of events in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for restraint

MOSCOW, March 23 – RIA Novosti. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Russia is concerned about the escalating tensions and the number of incidents in Nagorno-Karabakh and urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to show restraint and continue the peace process.

“We are really concerned about the growth of hostile rhetoric and the increase in the number of incidents in Nagorno-Karabakh, the unwillingness of the parties to reach a compromise to resolve the situation around the Lachin corridor,” Zakharova said at a briefing.

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Russia does not see any alternative but the peace process.

The Russian Ministry of Defense previously reported that on December 12, the Azerbaijani side closed the Stepanakert-Goris road, which is the only highway connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, and which the command of the Russian peacekeeping unit negotiated with the representatives of Azerbaijan. continue the unhindered movement of civil transport in this direction. The US State Department also urged the Azerbaijani side to unblock the Lachin corridor. Baku describes what happened as an act of protest by civil activists and environmentalists against the “illegal activities of the Armenian side”.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on January 18 that the Lachin corridor problem in Nagorno-Karabakh could be resolved in the near future. He noted that Moscow offers Baku and Yerevan the following mechanism: Russian peacekeepers should have the authority to control traffic along the Lachin corridor, including checking vehicles for the absence of prohibited humanitarian and non-civilian goods. Despite this, the Lachin corridor is still closed.

Last year, Yerevan and Baku began discussing a future peace deal with the mediation of Russia, the United States and the European Union. At the beginning of February this year, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that Armenia has received and is examining Azerbaijan’s proposals for the next peace agreement. Then, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan also offered peace treaty proposals to Baku.