Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Assistant to the President Vladimir Medinsky’s comments on Karabakh should not be taken out of context, clarifying that he was referring solely to historical and sociocultural aspects.

According to Zakharova, “Russia officially recognizes Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan,” as reported by TASS.

“The reference was solely to the tragedy of armed conflict. One should not extract nonexistent assertions from the context or reorder words to create a completely different meaning,” Zakharova emphasized.

Earlier, Medinsky, who leads Russia’s delegation in negotiations with Ukraine, said in an interview with RT that if the Ukrainian conflict ends along the current front line without achieving ‘real peace,’ the region will turn into a ‘huge Karabakh,’ describing it as a ‘disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan.’

That remark sparked official discontent in Baku, as portraying Karabakh as a disputed territory reportedly caused “regret and astonishment,” according to Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayhan Hajizadeh.