Russia sees in the Civil Mission of the European Union in Armenia an exclusively geopolitical background, far from the interests of normalization in the South Caucasus, and an attempt to squeeze Russia from the region. This is stated in the commentary of the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova in connection with the start of the work of the corresponding mission.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time to fix the desire of the European Union and the West as a whole by any means to gain a foothold in the allied Armenia. We see in these attempts an exclusively geopolitical background, far from the interests of real normalization of relations in Transcaucasia. Everything is done in order to squeeze Russia out From the region and weaken its historical role as the main guarantor of security. The publicly expressed negative assessments of this initiative from Baku are ignored, ”Russian media quoted Zakharov.
According to Zakharova, the experience of participating the European Union in the settlement of various regional conflicts is very ambiguous. “It is unlikely that in Brussels they can boast of successes in this area. Take at least the intermediary efforts and mission of the European Union in … Kosovo,” she said.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that the key factor in the region in the region for the foreseeable perspective remains a set of agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. “Through their comprehensive implementation, including unlocking transport communications, the division of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, establishing contacts between the public, experts, religious circles, parliamentarians of the two countries, as well as negotiations on the development of a peace treaty, the most direct path of healing the situation in the region is ready. The Russian Federation is ready And further to promote this in every way, ”she summed up.
The European Union launched the work of a civil mission in Armenia on Monday, which should contribute to the settlement of the situation with Azerbaijan. The mandate of the mission is designed for two years and provides for “constant patrolling and writing reports [Brussels] about the situation, which will increase the EU understanding on Earth”.