Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday accused the United States and the European Union of wanting to “separate” Russia from the South Caucasus while trying to get involved in peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
While Russia’s offensive in Ukraine has stalled, Moscow appears to be losing its influence in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, a region where it has traditionally played a mediating role, notes the Agerpres Agence France-Presse.
“We clearly see the goals of the West in the South Caucasus, we do not hide them, but confirm them – to separate Russia” from this region, said the head of Russian diplomacy, asserting that the Western states are trying to “undermine the security architecture.” “in this part of the former Soviet Union.
Lavrov stated this at a press conference in Moscow together with his Armenian colleague Ararat Mirzoyan. He also reproached Brussels and Washington for trying to “impose their control” on the negotiations between Yerevan and Baku.
AFP reminds that Armenia and Azerbaijan have been arguing over Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 1990s, when the USSR collapsed. The Armenians won the first war with the Azerbaijanis, then took revenge in 2020, recapturing a large part of this territory. Currently, bilateral tensions are still high.
In recent years, the US and the EU have organized several rounds of peace talks between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. On February 20, the European Union conducted an observation mission on the official border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where fighting took place last September.
Since December, Armenian authorities have accused Azerbaijan of creating a “humanitarian crisis” by blocking the only road link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, which the government in Baku denies.
Yerevan also criticized the passivity of the Russian military in the Nagorno-Karabakh peacekeeping forces.
Read also:
- Russia says it is “seriously concerned” about the situation on its southern border
- Why is there a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan – History of hostile relations between the two countries
Source: Hot News
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