BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 11. The decision to deploy the EU-France mission in Armenia's territory is another attempt by the EU to intervene in the Baku-Yerevan negotiation process, Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a weekly briefing, Trend reports.
"The EU hasn't yet made a formal decision on the matter. Russia sees this as another attempt by the EU to press the mediation efforts of the country," she said.
According to Zakharova, the only key to reconciliation between Baku and Yerevan, establishing sustainable peace and long-term stability in the region is the full implementation of the trilateral statements of the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders.
"We maintain regular engagements on the issue with our Azerbaijani and Armenian colleagues. Russia expects to take advantage of the upcoming event within the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Astana," she added.
Hosting the border mission was envisaged by the statement of October 7, 2022, following the quadrilateral meeting of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Council Charles Michel and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Prague.
The EU and France wanted to establish a border monitoring mission, including Azerbaijan, in order to have an access to the region. Azerbaijan diplomatically rejected the relevant proposal. Therefore, the mission was decided to operate only on Armenia's territory. Azerbaijan will cooperate with the mission in accordance with its interests. The border mission will help build confidence and contribute to the border delimitation process.