15:19,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Russia is guided by the “do no harm” principle in the South Caucasus, but not all players in the region share this approach, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
“We are guided by the principle that can be described as “do no harm”, and above all the principle of contributing to resolving all emerging problems, which will first of all be based on the principled agreements of the three leaders within the framework of their four statements,” TASS quoted Lavrov as saying at a joint press conference with his Azeri counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov.
The other principle, according to Lavrov, is to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation between countries of the region based on mutual respect. “Not all players are guided by the same principles, especially those who are far from South Caucasus,” the Russian foreign minister said.
Lavrov also commented on the EU civilian mission in Armenia. According to him, the mission “raises many questions in terms of legitimacy.”
“We see how the EU is explicitly abusing its relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan, including by advancing its so-called mission in the territory of Armenia, which raises serious doubts in terms of legitimacy,” Lavrov said.
The mission “raises numerous questions”, according to the Russian FM, including “in terms of its functions, mandate and the added value that it can bring to the efforts aimed at the normalization of the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”
“But it is the sovereign choice of the parties with whom to cooperate and with whom not,” FM Lavrov added.