As official spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova urges everyone to be guided by the original document adopted at the three-sided meeting of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan's presidents in Saint Petersburg and not by the statements attempting to interpret the results of the meeting, it becomes evident once again that Baku is attempting to distort the situation around the Karabakh peace process. Eduard Sharmazanov, Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament made such statement in a news conference, Friday.
"Zakharova's statement was an effort to call things by their proper names. Moscow reacted very strongly to the statement by Novruz Mammadov, the Deputy Head of the Azerbaijani President's Administration," Sharmazanov said.
It is noteworthy that Mammadov said an interview with ANS that during the meeting in St. Petersburg, the parties allegedly agreed to settle the Karabakh conflict stage by stage and return the territories under control of Karabakh to Azerbaijan. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia disclaimed the statement immediately.
Moscow reacted promptly. Russian foreign ministry's spokesperson called Mammadov's statement an attempt of the Azerbaijani side to interpret the reached agreements. "As is known, the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan have made a trilateral statement to reaffirm the agreements concluded at the latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in Vienna on May 16, geared to stabilizing the situation in the area of the conflict," Zakharova said in reply to a question from TASS. "The statement is available on all official websites," she said. "I would ask one and all - I believe this is a collective request - to be guided by the original of the statement, and not the unseemly attempts to interpret the results of the meeting", TASS quoted Zakharova as saying.