Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated during a briefing that Moscow considers Azerbaijan’s concern over the European Union’s mission in Armenia to be justified, as reported by Sputnik Armenia.

She noted, “It is known that the employees of this so-called mission are engaged in espionage against Armenia’s neighboring countries, and of course, they are not accountable to Yerevan.”

Zakharova stressed that these observers contribute nothing to regional stability.

She further stated that the Russian side has not received any indication from Yerevan regarding a possible withdrawal of the Russian military base from Armenian territory.

“We have not received any signal from Yerevan about the potential withdrawal of the Russian military base from Armenia. Armenian officials confirm, including publicly, that such matters are not on the agenda,” Zakharova said.

She emphasized that the presence of the Russian base is regulated by relevant bilateral agreements between Armenia and Russia. Moreover, according to her, the status of the base has never been raised in the context of Russian cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan stated that the Armenian authorities are currently not discussing the removal of the Russian military base from the Republic of Armenia.

Meanwhile, the For the Republic party has launched a petition demanding the withdrawal of Russia’s 102nd military base from Armenian territory.