MOSCOW
Moscow views the results of Friday’s meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Washington positively, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
"We consistently support all efforts aimed at achieving this key goal crucial to regional security. In this regard, the meeting of leaders from the South Caucasian republics in Washington with American mediation deserves positive evaluation," spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on the ministry website.
Zakharova expressed hope that this step would advance the cause of peace, adding that until recently, Armenia and Azerbaijan had emphasized their preference for direct dialogue without external involvement.
She also highlighted Russia’s role in resolving the conflict between the two.
"The optimal solution for addressing problems in the South Caucasus lies in finding and implementing approaches developed by the countries themselves, backed by their immediate neighbors – Russia, Iran, and Türkiye," she emphasized.
The participation of "extraregional players," she added, should reinforce the peace process rather than introduce new complications or divisions.
"It would be desirable to avoid the unfortunate precedent of Western involvement in Middle Eastern conflict resolution. A case in point for the South Caucasus is the EU monitoring mission in Armenia, whose presence repeatedly provokes discontent among other regional stakeholders," she noted.
Moscow will closely examine Washington’s statements on regional transport links, as this directly impacts Russia’s strategic interests, she said, in an apparent reference to the planned Zangezur link between Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhchivan, set to be near Armenia’s border with Iran.
Armenia’s border with Iran is secured by Russian border guards under a 1992 bilateral agreement.
"A decisive step toward lasting peace between these two South Caucasus states will be the signing and ratification of a comprehensive peace treaty formalizing interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia," Zakharova stated.
Any reconciliation, she said, must align with regional realities and be grounded in a fair balance of interests, with unwavering respect for the priorities of both parties and neighboring nations.