Moscow Urges Baku, Yerevan to Take Steps on De-escalation on Border — Diplomat

"All emerging issues must be decided exclusively via peaceful, political and diplomatic means," Maria Zakharova stressed

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Russia is seriously concerned over the aggravation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and urges the two sides to take steps on de-escalating the situation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

"As for the exacerbated situation at a section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. We are seriously concerned about it," the diplomat said. "We persistently call on Baku and Yerevan to show restraint, take steps on de-escalation, avoid any actions fraught with the further deterioration of the situation."

"All emerging issues must be decided exclusively via peaceful, political and diplomatic means," Zakharova stressed. "What happened once again confirms the necessity of Azerbaijan and Armenia returning as soon as possible to the implementation of the set of trilateral agreements at the highest level which were concluded during the period from 2020 to 2022," she explained.

Moscow is confident that territorial disputes must be resolved within the framework of the bilateral commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. "We are ready to provide consultative assistance to this process," the spokeswoman said.

On February 12, Azerbaijan's State Border Service said that an Azerbaijani border guard was wounded in shelling from Armenian territory. The following morning, the border service reported a "retaliatory operation" in response, as a result of which an Armenian outpost was destroyed. Yerevan reported the deaths of four Armenian military. The Armenian Foreign Ministry accused Azerbaijan of derailing peace efforts.