News - Russia MFA spox: We welcomed mutual desire of Azerbaijan, Armenia to normalize relations

We truly welcomed the mutual desire of Baku and Yerevan to normalize relations and sign a peace treaty. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, announced this at a press briefing Tuesday. "We [i.e. Russia] welcomed their agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war, with the ‘all for all’ principle. This contributes to mutual confidence-building and opens up additional opportunities for reconciliation in accordance with the agreement between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia signed from [20]20 to [20]22. As for the timeframes for signing the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty, as we have talked about it from the beginning, they should be decided by the parties themselves," said the spokesperson of the Russian foreign ministry. According to Zakharova, Russia is ready to continue assisting its two aforementioned partners in developing a balanced peace agreement. "Such a document is meant to create reliable foundations for sustainable peace and stability in the region," said the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry.