Moscow urges Yerevan against “scholasticism” in regional peace discussions

PanARMENIAN.Net - Moscow has urged Yerevan against “practicing scholasticism” and instead continue working together to achieve a comprehensive implementation of trilateral agreements reached by Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement Thursday, January 12 that Russian proposal to provide a platform for Armenian-Azerbaijani talks on a peace treaty remains in force.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a press conference on January 10 that Yerevan was ready to sign a document on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within Russia's proposals.

Zakharova weighed in on Pashinyan’s remarks, noting that it is difficult to assess the position of the Armenian side when statements from Yerevan on the same issue “differ significantly”.

“During said press conference, the Prime Minister of Armenia spoke about his intention to sign the document on the basis of Russian proposals, and at the same time about the preference for some kind of "comprehensive solution" to the conflict, promoted by the West,” the diplomat said.

According to Zakharova, Yerevan’s agreement to rely on the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991 in developing a peace treaty with Baku, which was enshrined in a statement following the summit in October 2022 in Prague, radically changed the logic of the negotiation process.

“The Alma-Ata Declaration confirmed the inviolability of the borders that existed between the republics of the Soviet Union. At that time, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was part of the Azerbaijan SSR. Of course, this circumstance is very difficult to ignore in the peace process between Baku and Yerevan,” Zakharova added.