Russian Ambassador: The trilateral agreements reached a year ago on a  ceasefire in the Karabakh conflict zone have fully justified  themselves

ArmInfo. Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin is convinced that the trilateral agreements reached a year ago on a ceasefire in the zone of the  Nagorno- Karabakh conflict, despite the existing difficulties, fully  justified themselves.

The diplomat expressed this point of view in an  interview with the First Public Channel of the Republic of Armenia,  assessing the agreements reached between the leaders of Russia,  Armenia and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020.

At the same time, he stated that this was preceded by a very  difficult period, especially if one considers that here in Armenia it  was necessary to overcome what had happened morally, to understand  what had happened.

Kopyrkin drew attention to the fact that the statement made it  possible to accomplish the most important thing - to stop the armed  clash, bloodshed and outline, tentatively speaking, a roadmap for  getting out of this tragic and difficult situation. The diplomat also  believes that the document opened up prospects for work in the region  to get out of the situation and for ensuring a peaceful environment  for local countries, first of all for Armenia.  "Of course, there are  incidents, including tragic ones. They all receive a lightning-fast  adequate response, including from the Russian side. For each  incident, a substantive investigation is carried out, conclusions are  drawn. But, I am convinced that the overall result, in my opinion, is  positive", the Ambassador said.

Touching upon the activities of the peacekeepers, he drew attention  to the fact that the peacekeeping contingent is a real guarantor of  security and ensuring the natural life of people in Nagorno-Karabakh.  The diplomat believes that the activity of the peacekeepers concerns  not only the fulfillment of their direct responsibilities to ensure  the security of the ceasefire, but also contributes to the normal  life of the region.  He also recalled the activities of the Russian  Emergencies Ministry in the region, which carried out large- scale  work from construction to mine clearance and infrastructure  rehabilitation.

"That is, I am sure that now the situation in the region is extremely  different from the situation that existed immediately after the end  of the hostilities. And it is extremely important to create  conditions for the future peaceful development of the region,  trilateral meetings at the level of deputy prime ministers of the  three countries and the formation of a working group to implement  point 9 of the statement, "Kopyrkin is convinced.

When asked to assess the provocations of the Azerbaijani Armed  Forces, after the signing of a trilateral statement that take place  in front of Russian peacekeepers, and which often have tragic  consequences, the Russian Ambassador agreed with the presence of such  tragic incidents, but at the same time assured that they all receive  an adequate response.

At the same time, he thinks that all this should be viewed from a  general point of view, what could be the alternative version? "I am  deeply convinced that what was signed a year ago and the activities  of our peacekeepers provide an opportunity to ensure general  stability in the region. We do not see any serious incidents with  mass casualties. Unfortunately, all this is based on complex reasons,  contradictions and problems, so to speak, aspirations accumulated  over the decades," said the Ambassador, adding that, of course, what  happened a year ago did not diminish, but rather added something to  these aspirations, and it is difficult to expect the complete  elimination of such tragic incidents in the current realities.

Regarding the invasion of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces into the  sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia and strengthening,  not wanting to leave them, as well as Baku's failure to fulfill a  number of points of the trilateral statement, including on the issue  of prisoners of war and unblocking of transport communications, which  discredits Moscow as a mediator, the ambassador expressed his  conviction that the situation not as unambiguous as the presenter  describes.  "As far as I know, the Azerbaijani side also, so to  speak, has a desire to resolve the existing problems. Yes, there is a  question related to prisoners of war and other hostages. But, let's  not forget that during this period, 105 citizens of Armenia were  returned to their homelands and this process continues. This issue is  among the priorities of the Russian leadership and peacekeepers, "he  said, recalling that not so long ago, thanks to the efforts of  General Rustam Muradov, five more citizens were returned. At the same  time, the diplomat believes that in this situation "the glass can be  considered as half empty and half full."

To the remark that Moscow does not equally respond to the  provocations of the Azerbaijani side, the diplomat asked a counter  question, what does the presenter mean by this wording, what is the  problem? In that context, he once again emphasized that all actions  are awarded clear and practical results, taking into account all the  complexities of the situation, so as not to drive the process into a  dead end. According to him, and this in turn carries the threat of an  outbreak of new bloodshed, which Moscow is trying to avoid and find  opportunities for mutually acceptable solutions that will resolve the  situation and create more positive regional tendencies for the  countries of the South Caucasus.