Russia Accuses Western 'Friends' of Stalling Armenian-Azerbaijani Communications Unblocking Efforts

In a briefing held on November 15, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, made scathing remarks about the alleged interference of Western influencers in the unblocking of communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Zakharova asserted that the initiatives undertaken by Russian-led efforts to normalize relations are being hindered by external interference.

Zakharova highlighted the repeated opportunities missed in finalizing agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding the unblocking of communications. She emphasized that despite significant progress made during the tripartite negotiations, the inability to reach concrete agreements on paper persisted due to external influences, which she attributed to Western "friends" advising the Armenian leadership.

Expressing disappointment over the obstruction of mutual agreements, Zakharova pinpointed the occurrences, including the June 2 session of the tripartite working group, where considerable headway was made toward the restoration of railway communication between the two nations. However, she alleged that these advancements were thwarted by the intervention of Western advisors, supposedly providing misguided counsel to the Armenian leadership.

The Russian Foreign Ministry representative also criticized the EU-led meeting in Granada on October 5, where a statement on regional issues was adopted in the absence of Azerbaijan. Zakharova condemned this move as contradictory to the principles of constructive tripartite negotiations and accused the US and the European Union of pushing Armenia to operate outside the agreed-upon frameworks, risking isolation from further regional communications.

Zakharova strongly condemned the actions of these Western entities, alleging that their agendas are driven by Russophobia and a relentless desire to incite discord among nations. She concluded by insinuating that the Western influencers' motives prioritize conflict generation rather than fostering genuine solutions beneficial to the affected nations and their people.