BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. What the West is doing has nothing to do with normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a weekly briefing, Trend reports.
She made a comment on the appearance and then removal of Armenia and Azerbaijan from the list of countries that supported the EU decision to extend the European Magnitsky List for three years, until December 8, 2026.
"In the initial version, Azerbaijan and Armenia appeared on the list of third countries. However, after some time they miraculously disappeared from it. Of course, in my opinion, this question should be addressed to Brussels, because this is really some kind of magic. There are different versions of their documents. As far as our assessment is concerned, all of Brussels' efforts to make its anti-Russian restrictions look like compliance with international norms by pulling third countries into its sanction measures by any means necessary is an empty, unconstructive and futile endeavor. Unilateral restrictive measures of the EU, taken in circumvention of the UN Security Council, are a gross violation of international law," she said.
Zakharova noted that the history with the appearance and then disappearance of Azerbaijan and Armenia from the list of countries supporting the EU's human rights sanctions is a vivid example of neocolonial thinking in Brussels' policy and of what the Western community directly wants from getting involved in the process of settling relations between the countries.
"The only goal and objective is in no way related to the settlement and normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the settlement of the consequences of the long crisis. And this is only a desire to once again take some anti-Russian stance," she added.
According to her, by trying to force Russia's neighbors to follow the sanctioned, including anti-Russian course, the EU is simply doing everything it can, including outright forgery.