MOSCOW, Apr 24 Russia continues to mediate between Azerbaijan and Armenia, but the situation is not simple, while Baku and Yerevan must understand that there is no alternative to all the provisions of the tripartite settlement agreements, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
Earlier, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan stated that its units had set up a border checkpoint on the border with Armenia at the beginning of the road in the Lachin corridor that leads to Stepanakert. Baku explained the appearance of the checkpoint by the unlawful use of the road to Stepanakert by the Armenian side and security threats. The border guards of Azerbaijan indicated that the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the Russian-Turkish monitoring center were informed about this fact. The Armenian Foreign Ministry called the establishment of the checkpoint a gross violation of the tripartite statement of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan in 2020. In response, Baku called the establishment of a checkpoint a legitimate step.
«Russia continues its mediation efforts, mainly efforts to implement all the provisions of the trilateral documents that were signed two years earlier. Russia will continue to work on this together with Yerevan and Baku. We continue contacts, the situation is really difficult, it requires additional efforts , and most importantly, it requires the mentioned countries to understand that there is no alternative to the implementation of the mentioned agreements,» Peskov told reporters when asked if it was possible to talk about the failure of Russia as a mediator in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in connection with this event.
He also stressed that the mediation work will continue.
«We are working with the capitals, and with Yerevan, and with Baku. And we will continue this work,» Peskov answered the question of what measures Russia would take in this situation.
At the end of September 2020, hostilities resumed in Nagorno-Karabakh, which became a continuation of a long-term conflict and led to civilian casualties. The parties made several attempts to conclude a truce, but the tripartite agreement reached on the night of November 10 was successful. With the mediation of Moscow, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to completely cease fire, remaining in their positions, and to exchange prisoners and the bodies of the dead. In addition, Baku crossed the Kelbajar and Lachin regions, as well as part of the Aghdam region, which were previously under the control of the unrecognized NKR and were not occupied by the Azerbaijani army during the hostilities. Russian peacekeepers have been stationed in the region, including the Lachin corridor.
On January 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the issue of the Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh could be resolved in the near future. He noted that Moscow offered Baku and Yerevan the following mechanism: Russian peacekeepers should have the authority under a trilateral agreement to control traffic along the Lachin corridor, including checking vehicles for the absence of prohibited non-humanitarian, non-civilian goods.