Russia calls on other regional players to show restraint in their military activity against the background of the latest clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This was stated at a briefing on Thursday by Alexey Zaitsev, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"We are, of course, closely monitoring the situation in the region, especially in view of the recent Armenian-Azerbaijani border conflict, and we strongly urge all parties to exercise restraint, including in their current military activities," he said, answering a question from TASS about Azerbaijan's intention to conduct joint military exercises with Turkey, including exercises on the border with Armenia.
He noted that from July 29 to August 10, joint planned exercises with the Turkish armed forces would be held in Azerbaijan in accordance with the current agreement on military cooperation. They involve about 5 thousand soldiers, 150 armored vehicles, up to 150 units of artillery and air defense, as well as up to 30 units of aircraft, helicopters and drones.
"Russia is concerned by the recent escalation of the situation on the border of friendly Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are convinced that the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as any other differences in the international arena, must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, through diplomatic negotiations <...>. The Russian leadership has made all necessary efforts to prevent further escalation, including through operational interaction with key partners in the region," Zaitsev said, recalling telephone conversations between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and colleagues from Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as recent contacts with Turkey at the level of presidents and heads of diplomatic agencies.
According to him, Moscow is determined to continue working together with partners, including Turkey, to "stop a new round of tension", stabilize the overall situation in the Transcaucasus and actively promote the establishment of a dialogue between Yerevan and Baku.
Escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border escalated on July 12. Baku stated that the Armenian armed forces attempted to attack the positions of the Republic's army using artillery, while Yerevan called the Azerbaijani side's attempt to break through the line the reason for the escalation. Both sides reported on the dead soldiers. According to their estimates, the situation has remained relatively calm since July 17, but information about shelling near the border and the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh is received almost daily.
The conflict between Baku and Yerevan began in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous region announced its secession from the Azerbaijani SSR. During the 1992-1994 armed conflict, Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding areas. Since 1992, negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict have been held within the framework of the OSCE Minsk group, which is chaired by Russia, the United States and France.
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