Russian Foreign Ministry Informs Azerbaijani Ambassador of the Need to Unblock the Lachin Corridor

The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Andrey Rudenko, discussed the situation in the South Caucasus with Azerbaijan's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, as well as the reconciliation process between Yerevan and Baku. This was reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The Russian side confirmed the necessity of the full and immediate unblocking of the Lachin corridor, restoring transportation communication in both directions, in accordance with the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, as well as the need to create conditions for the normal livelihood of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh," the statement reads.

The parties also addressed Azerbaijan’s reaction to the recent announcement made by the Russian Foreign Ministry, to which Azerbaijan responded harshly. According to the Azerbaijani side, the Russian Foreign Ministry conditions the integrity of Azerbaijan's territory on the recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity by the Prime Minister of Armenia, which contradicts the declaration on cooperation between Moscow and Baku.

"In connection with the inappropriate comments from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry regarding the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement dated July 15 of this year, it was emphasized that the Russian Federation has always respected and continues to respect the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and is fully committed to the spirit and letter of the bilateral declaration on allied cooperation. At the same time, this does not eliminate the necessity to comprehensively promote the resolution process of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, as well as to address all agenda issues, including ensuring the rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh exclusively through peaceful political-diplomatic methods," the text of the statement states.

The Russian side also confirmed its readiness to organize a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers in Moscow in the near future to "discuss the ways of implementing agreements at a high level, including the issue of agreeing on a peace treaty, which will be followed by a summit of the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in Moscow for signing the mentioned document."