Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement on Monday raises doubts about Russia’s ‘constructive engagement in the normalization process of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,' said Ani Badalyan, the spokesperson for Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to a media inquiry.

The FM spokesperson further added: “The Foreign Minister of the state that once undertook a mediator's mission signed the November 9, 2020 Statement and deployed a peacekeeping contingent in the region based on it, cannot fail to see that there is no single key provision of the Statement that has not been irrevocably violated, despite Russia's signature under the document and its participation and responsibility in the processes envisaged by it. We also believe that the Foreign Minister of Russia is well aware that apart from public documents, Armenia is not part of any other agreement and, therefore, cannot sabotage them. We also consider it necessary to emphasize that the “Crossroads of Peace” project presented by the Government of the Republic of Armenia is already widely recognized within the international community and was also presented several times to the representatives of the Russian Federation. We reaffirm that opening regional communications within the project is possible literally at any moment. The “Crossroads of Peace” project received a positive response from a number of international partners, and we call on our colleagues from the Foreign Ministry of Russia to refrain from sabotaging through biased statements neither the project nor the efforts to achieve peace in the South Caucasus. The Government of the Republic of Armenia has repeatedly reaffirmed and reiterated its commitment to the peace agenda and will do its part to implement it successfully.”

During a state visit to Baku, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed Armenian-Azerbaijani relations in response to a question from a journalist. Lavrov emphasized the importance of adhering to the trilateral agreements between Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in 2020-2022. According to Lavrov, these agreements cover all aspects of the conflict and outline the necessary steps for a comprehensive resolution. Lavrov expressed Russia’s support for the swift signing of a peace treaty and unblocking regional communications. He also accused the Armenian leadership of sabotaging the process of unblocking communications.