Maria Zakharova on Yesterday's Escalation of Armenian-Azerbaijani Border Situation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation is seriously concerned about the escalation of the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and calls on Yerevan and Baku to exercise restraint, take measures towards de-escalation, and avoid any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the situation. This was stated by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“We are talking about the border between Armenia's Syunik province and Azerbaijan's Zangelan region. On February 12 and 13, a number of armed incidents occurred near the village of Nerkhin Hand, resulting in casualties and injuries,” said Zakharova.

She emphasized that all issues must be resolved exclusively through peaceful political-diplomatic means. Zakharova noted that the recent events once again confirm the need to return swiftly to the implementation of the comprehensive trilateral agreements reached at a high level. She reminded that trilateral agreements were signed in 2020 and 2022.

“We are convinced that territorial disputes should be resolved within the framework of the work of the bilateral commission dealing with the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. We are ready to provide advisory support to the process,” Zakharova concluded.

It should be noted that on February 13, Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire towards Armenian positions located in the Nerkhin Hand area, resulting in 4 fatalities and 1 injury.