Azer News
Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan Mikhail Bocharnikov stated that Moscow appreciates Baku’s stance on regional normalization.
The Ambassador made the remark during a press conference in Baku on January 26.
“Russia greatly appreciates Azerbaijan’s position on regional normalization, which benefits all regional countries,” Bocharnikov said.
He described the formation of a trilateral working group with the participation of the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian deputy prime ministers as one of the pleasant moments in 2021 to restore communications. Bocharnikov added that the trilateral format is effective for holding negotiations at a professional level.
“The Azerbaijani president has repeatedly stood for this issue and we support him…The impetus was given by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia at a meeting in Russia’s Sochi city. The trilateral group will continue its work in the future,” the ambassador underlined.
He emphasized that Moscow agrees with Ilham Aliyev on the role of the trilateral working group in the regional normalization process.
“The trilateral working group is aimed at the early completion of joint infrastructure initiatives and the launch of transport and logistics projects in the South Caucasus,” Bocharnikov said.
He went on to say that the meetings between Azerbaijani and Armenian public figures will help normalize relations between the two countries.
Bocharnikov recalled that the first such meeting between the parties took place in 2021 when the participants agreed to hold additional meetings in 2022, though the exact schedule for them is unknown.
Following the 44-day war between the countries in late 2020, the first meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian representatives was scheduled for December 23-24, 2021, in Moscow. Mikhail Shvydkoy, the Russian president’s special representative for International Cultural Cooperation, also attended the meeting.
