Kremlin: Russia welcomes independent peace efforts of Armenia, Azerbaijan

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia is taking a calm stance regarding Armenia's reluctance to seek Moscow's mediation in negotiations between Yerevan and Baku.

"Russia welcomes the independent efforts of the parties to engage in peaceful dialogue," Peskov said during a briefing, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"We have heard from Yerevan at various levels that there is no need for intermediaries, and that Yerevan and Baku will continue the dialogue on their own until a final peace agreement is reached. We will welcome their independent efforts," he said.

He emphasised that Russia's primary concern is the stabilisation of the situation in the South Caucasus and the creation of a predictable environment for further cooperation between the countries in the region.

Earlier, President of the Armenian National Assembly Alen Simonyan said that Armenia is unlikely to accept Russia’s mediation efforts in negotiations with Azerbaijan. Simonyan expressed doubts over Russia’s role in future talks. 

"I think it is unlikely. Of course, we consider every specific proposal, but experiences have left many bad memories. We have many questions that remain unanswered," he stated. 

On February 9, Russia’s Ambassador to Yerevan, Sergey Kopyrkin, reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to facilitating the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to the diplomat, the Russian Federation is determined to provide all necessary assistance in advancing the normalisation process between Yerevan and Baku across all tracks, in line with the trilateral agreements reached by the leaders of the three countries between 2020 and 2022. This includes efforts to develop a mutually acceptable and balanced peace treaty, the delimitation and demarcation of borders, and the restoration of transport and communication routes.

By Naila Huseynova