Lavrov corrected an Armenian journalist who accused Baku

Baku/31.08.21/Turan: Tension in the region remains due to the "destructive policy of Azerbaijan," said the new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan at a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister on August 31 in Moscow.

“I want to state that Baku does not fulfill its obligations on the trilateral statement of the leaders of the Russian Federation, Armenia and Azerbaijan dated November 9, 2020, which was achieved thanks to the personal efforts of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin,” he said.

Then Mirzoyan accused Azerbaijan of encroaching on the sovereign territories of Armenia and anti-Armenian rhetoric and refusing to return the prisoners. He also criticized Baku’s statements that the Karabakh conflict has been resolved.

During a press conference following the meeting, Lavrov said that the parties agreed to work to eliminate mutual irritants in relations between Yerevan and Baku.

Lavrov corrected an Armenian journalist who accused Baku of violating the November 9 agreement on the release of prisoners of war. Lavrov noted that the agreement on January 9 concerned the prisoners at the time of the conclusion of the armistice, and those who are now in Azerbaijani captivity were there after the armistice.

Nevertheless, the issue of the final resolution of the issue of the release of Armenian prisoners, including the transfer of maps of minefields, is the focus of Moscow's attention, Lavrov said.

Referring to the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Russian minister noted: "We proceed from the fact that all issues must be resolved exclusively by political and diplomatic methods. And a long-term settlement is possible only through delimitation and demarcation of borders. The initiative of the Russian President in this regard is well known. We spoke today on how to quickly ensure its implementation," Lavrov said.

According to him, Russia is satisfied with the way the work of the trilateral working group on unblocking communications is proceeding. Moscow hopes that this mechanism will help the region's economic recovery and provide a solid foundation for long-term prosperity.

In turn, Mirzoyan said that the conflict in Karabakh was not resolved until the status of Nagorno Karabakh was not determined. He also spoke about the threat to the life of the Armenians of Karabakh, as well as to the cultural monuments of the Armenians in this region.

Touching upon the issue of unblocking communications, Mirzoyan said that it is in the interests of Armenia and Russia, however, Yerevan is “against a free interpretation” of the provisions of the trilateral agreement on this issue. -02D-