“Russia has an important role in the Artsakh conflict resolution process based off of its strategic collaboration with Armenia and its relations with Azerbaijan,” the Russian ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, said in a press conference.
When reporters asked if Russia can prevent the conflict from escalating, the ambassador said that Russia is working within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and is doing everything to ensure that the conflict won’t escalate. “It is important to view Russia’s role here in a balanced manner. It plays an important and active role, but it cannot replace either of the two sides.”
The ambassador continued. “We are initiating all possible steps in the negotiations process. But it is clear that the final decision for this conflict is up to the participating sides. We are carrying out all possible mechanisms, but to say that everything depends on Russia is not accurate.”
Regarding the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements, which are supposed to ensure supervised mechanisms at the border, Sergey Kopyrkin said that these issues are being actively discussed during negotiations, including within the OSCE Minsk Group. “I do not wish to get to deep into this subject. As the ambassador of Armenia, I am not aware of these discussions.”
