Zakharova responded to Simonyan: it was Russia that stopped the bloodshed in Karabakh in 2020.
The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that it was Moscow that stopped the bloodshed in Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2020. This is how she addressed the statements of the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Alan Simonyan about the inaction of the Russian side during the escalation period.
Before arriving in Moscow, Simonyan said that during the escalation of the conflict, he appealed to the Russian side to stop the war, but saw no effective steps from Russia while Armenian soldiers were dying in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"We don't know at whose feet he fell then, or maybe he continues to do it as before."
Zakharova answered.
She recalled that on the night between November 9 and 10, 2020, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan, signed a tripartite declaration on a complete ceasefire and all military operations in the conflict zone.
"Russia and no one else stopped the bloodshed in the region."
- emphasized the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to her, after the signing of the declaration, Russian peacekeeping forces were deployed in the area, which ensured the safety of the civilian population, provided humanitarian aid and cleared mines. Zakharova noted that the Russian peacekeepers carried out their tasks, including at the cost of their lives.
She also noted that the subsequent tripartite agreements in 2021-2022 stipulated the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku, the preparation of a peace agreement, the lifting of the blockade of transport communications, the demarcation of the border and the resolution of humanitarian issues. According to her, these agreements are in force, and the current peace process is progressing, including on the basis of proposals from Russian mediators.
In conclusion, Zakharova recalled a meeting in Prague in October 2022, in which, according to her, Pashinyan recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan's territory.