Russian Spox: EU meddling in Baku-Yerevan peace talks through border mission
By Vugar Khalilov
The deployment of the EU-France border mission in Armenia is yet another attempt by the EU to meddle in the Baku-Yerevan talks, Azernews reports, citing Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
"The EU hasn't yet made a formal decision on the matter. Russia sees this as another attempt by the EU to press the mediation efforts of the country," Zakharova said at a weekly briefing.
The only way of achieving reconciliation between Baku and Yerevan, as well as long-term regional peace and stability, is the full implementation of the trilateral statements of the Russian, Azerbaijani, and Armenian leaders, the diplomat underlined.
"We maintain regular engagements on the issue with our Azerbaijani and Armenian colleagues. Russia expects to take advantage of the upcoming event within the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Astana," she added.
Furthermore, a trilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Russian, and Armenian foreign ministers, Jeyhun Bayramov, Sergey Lavrov, and Ararat Mirzoyan is slated to be held in Astana on October 14, Azernews reports, citing the Armenian media.
At the previous meeting on October 3 in Geneva, the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers discussed the possible peace deal between the two countries.
The EU border mission was agreed upon following the October 6 meeting in Prague between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders under the auspices of EU Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
In order to get access to the region, the EU and France planned to organize a border monitoring mission that would also include Azerbaijan. However, the relevant suggestion was diplomatically rejected by Azerbaijan.
As a result, it was decided that the mission would solely operate in Armenia, and Azerbaijan will cooperate with the mission based on its own interests. The border mission will serve to instill mutual trust between the Armenian and Azerbaijani people and help the border delimitation process.
President Ilham Aliyev praised the EU's efforts in the peace talks during an interview with Azerbaijani TV channels, emphasizing that Azerbaijan and Armenia are gradually reaching peace.
Aliyev said that the peace talks are still ongoing and should not be disrupted.
“The ministers should meet for the second time soon, and we have suggested that after that the working groups of both countries should come together to prepare the text of the peace agreement, perhaps not in one meeting, but over the course of a few days,” he underlined.
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