Kopirkin: Peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be based on fair solutions to mutual concerns

Achieving mutually acceptable compromises between Yerevan and Baku is a complex and time-consuming process, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin said in an interview with Izvestia.

“As a rule, the preparation of any peace treaty is a painstaking and highly responsible process. Of course, Moscow is interested in establishing stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan as soon as possible. At the same time, it is important that this crucial document for the region is based on fair solutions to all mutual concerns, without leaving a ‘bitter aftertaste’ to either side. Russia is always ready to provide support to our Armenian and Azerbaijani partners in resolving bilateral relations, following the spirit and letter of the 2020-2022 trilateral agreements between the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The forms and scope of such assistance should be determined by the negotiating parties themselves,” the ambassador noted.

Regarding issues related to ensuring Armenia’s security, Kopirkin noted that Russia is committed to the stance that there are no real alternatives to Russian-Armenian allied cooperation, including within the CSTO framework. Russia remains committed to its obligations to ensure Armenia’s security both bilaterally and within the CSTO.

“We also expect our Armenian partners to actively engage in joint efforts to develop an equal and indivisible security system on the Eurasian continent, a concept proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry on June 14 of this year and reiterated recently at the BRICS summit in Kazan,” the ambassador remarked.

The diplomat added that Russia welcomes the high-level interactions between Armenia and Azerbaijan that took place on Oct. 24 at the BRICS summit in Kazan, which “provided an opportunity to give a useful impetus to the dialogue on the normalization of relations.”