We proceed from the agreements reached at the highest level within the framework of the tripartite format. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated this at Wednesday’s press briefing—and responding to a reporter’s question about the unblocking of the transport link between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“How does Russia assess Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement to interpret the ninth point of the tripartite statement [of November 2020] as an opportunity to provide the Russian FSB [i.e. the Federal Security Service] with the function of monitoring transport communications between the western regions of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, but not the overseeing of this communication?” had asked the reporter.
The Russian MFA spox noted that a lot of work was done in the tripartite group created by the decision of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia—and which is co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of these three countries—and that the main parameters of the unblocking were agreed on the railway communication, including the transit between the main territory of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through Syunik Province of Armenia.
“And in the interests of the matter, it is advisable to coordinate the remaining questions and various comments in the same format where they were discussed. Therefore, we [i.e. Russia] do not see an alternative to it and will continue to work in this direction,” added Zakharova.