ArmInfo. Russian FM Sergey Lavrov cannot confirm the reports that Armenia's authorities are discussing the advisability of Russian frontier guards' further presence at the Zvartnots airport.
"I cannot confirm these reports, although this fits well with the logic of the positions that the Armenian leadership is now setting out," Lavrov said at a press conference following the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.
At the same time, Lavrov added that both Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the speaker of the country's parliament and other figures say that everything that happened in relations between Yerevan and Moscow since 1991 was a mistake.
"Quite indicative speeches by Armenian officials. Well, from here follow the assessments of the activities of the CSTO, which allegedly did not fulfill its obligations to Armenia. From the same logic, statements by officials that in September 2020 it was Russia that provoked Azerbaijan's attack on Armenia, and other characteristics our country, as guilty of everything and everyone, including the betrayal of the people of Karabakh," Lavrov said.
At the same time, he called these statements an obvious lie. According to the Russian diplomat, the question arises of who and for what purpose this obvious lie is being introduced into the consciousness of the Armenian people, and those who are watching what is happening from the outside are rubbing their hands and saying that Russia needs to be removed from the South Caucasus. "The same political engineers who are used to leading the whole world from their apartments, and who have not brought any benefit to anyone in any part of the world. Look at the entire list of American adventures over the past at least 50 years," asked the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry , adding that Moscow has no illusions about the usefulness of the introduction of the collective West in the South Caucasus. At the same time, Lavrov complained that in Armenia they believe that you need to build your life not with your closest neighbors and historical allies, but with those who oppose your friends.
"We are sorry that the Armenian leadership has made, apparently, a conscious decision to consistently pursue a policy of worsening relations with the Russian Federation, of blaming Russia for everything that happened with Nagorno-Karabakh. This is not an alliance, of course. One of the main accusations is is, in addition to the fabrications I quoted, when it was stated by Armenian officials that it was Russia that pushed Azerbaijan to start the war, as they said, in September 2020. These are ungrateful assessments, because it was Russia that stopped this war, and could have stopped it much earlier, when the Azerbaijanis had not yet taken Shushi, but then Nikol Vovaevich Pashinyan, in response to calls from Vladimir Putin, said: "No, we will fight to the end." Oh please. Although it was possible, I say again, to stop much earlier, and there were options that made it possible to return Azerbaijani refugees to Shushi, while maintaining Shushi as part of Karabakh. Well, this stage has already been passed," Lavrov said. Speaking about the negotiations on the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, the minister noted that regular contacts are taking place between Moscow and Baku, and the Azerbaijani side confirms its commitment to normalization on the basis of trilateral agreements at the highest level on everything. He repeated Moscow's readiness to facilitate negotiations on the entire range of issues on the normalization agenda. The diplomat also recalled the activities of Russia's special representative in the South Caucasus, Igor Khovaev. "Khovaev was recently in Baku. As for the visit to the Armenian capital, our Armenian colleagues have not yet confirmed his visit, which actually reflects the trends that I spoke about above. About those meetings that are held between Yerevan and Baku under the auspices of various Western figures," the Russian FM said.
"The latter, as I understand it, took place with the efforts of Annalena Baerbock (German Foreign Minister - ed.). I asked my Azerbaijani colleague about his impressions. I'd rather leave his answers to myself," said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, expressing confidence that progress will depend depends on the extent to which the parties will conscientiously implement the agreements reached at the highest level between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.
"Those statements that are heard on a daily basis from the lips of the Armenian leadership make us think about what is really happening and how to take this into account in our practical steps," Lavrov concluded.