Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova today chided the Armenian government for pulling out of a December 23 meeting in Moscow where the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were to discuss a peace treaty and the resolution of the Lachin Corridor closure.

Zakharova, in a statement, said despite the setback Moscow’s offer to provide a platform for Armenia-Azerbaijani talks remains on the table.

"If the Armenian partners are really interested in solving the mentioned problems at a high level, via the complex implementation of tripartite agreements, then instead of engaging in academicism (making baseless judgments - ed.), it is necessary to continue the joint work. The Russian proposal to provide a platform for Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations on the peace treaty remains valid," Zakharova said.

 Yesterday, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan announced that Yerevan is ready to sign a Karabakh conflict resolution document within the framework of Russia's proposals.

Zakharova said contradictory statements were coming from Yerevan

 It’s difficult to assess the position of the Armenian side when the official statements of Yerevan on the same issue differ significantly. During his press conference, the Armenian prime minister spoke about his intention to sign the document based on the Russian proposals, and about his preference for some comprehensive solution to the conflict, which the West is promoting," she said.

Zakharova noted that when developing a peace treaty with Baku, Yerevan's agreement to rely on the 1991 Almaty Declaration, which was noted in the statement made as a following the Prague summit in October 2022, radically changed the logic of the negotiation process.

"The Almaty Declaration affirms the inviolability of the borders that existed between the republics of the Soviet Union. At that time, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was part of the Azerbaijan SSR. Of course, this circumstance is very difficult to ignore in the peace process between Baku and Yerevan," said Zakharova.

Photo: Sputnik / Evgeny Odinokov