YEREVAN, November 4. /ARKA/. The Russian Foreign Ministry will come out with a detailed commentary next week on the first anniversary of the adoption of the trilateral statement (signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 10, 2020) on the cessation of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
She said the approaching anniversary was discussed in telephone conversations between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his colleagues from Armenia on November 1 and Azerbaijan on November 2.
According to Zakharova, the ministers were unanimous in their assessments that over the past year the situation in the conflict zone has stabilized and the ceasefire has been generally observed.
She noted that the role of Russian peacekeepers is highly appreciated in Baku and Yerevan, while the isolated incidents are regulated through well-functioning channels of interaction on both sides. She added that efforts are also being made to unblock transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
She reminded that a meeting of the trilateral working group (set up to handle the practical modalities of reopening of transport links) was held in Moscow recently under the chairmanship of the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
According to her, contacts continue also at the level of foreign and defense ministries and the border protection services of all three countries in order to regulate border incidents.
“We believe that a comprehensive solution to the problem lies in the early launch of the process of delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border with its subsequent demarcation, and, of course, active work is being carried out through the OSCE Minsk Group,” Zakharova said.
Asked whether the leaders of the three countries plan to sign any new documents Zakharova said she did not have such information.
On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijani armed forces, backed by Turkey and foreign mercenaries and terrorists, attacked Nagorno-Karabakh along the entire front line using rocket and artillery weapons, heavy armored vehicles, military aircraft and prohibited types of weapons such as cluster bombs and phosphorus weapons.
After 44 days of the war, on November 9, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a statement on the cessation of all hostilities. According to the document, the town of Shushi, the districts of Agdam, Kelbajar and Lachin were handed over to Azerbaijan, with the exception of a 5-kilometer corridor connecting Karabakh with Armenia.
A Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed along the contact line in Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor. -0-