Russian foreign ministry denies responsibility for barring Armenian MPs to visit Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN, April 14. /ARKA/. The official representative of Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova disagreed today with official Armenian statements that blamed Russian peacekeeping troops in Nagorno-Karabakh for barring a group of opposition Armenian MPs to proceed to Nagorno-Karabakh capital Stepanakert earlier this week. 

In a statement issued on the same day (April 12) Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the action of the peacekeepers contradicted the trilateral statement of November 9, which envisages the unimpeded connection of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia through the Lachin corridor.

Speaking in parliament on April 13, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the travel ban 'gives rise to doubts because the behavior of Russians contradicts the trilateral statement of November 9.' 

Speaking at a press briefing today, Zakharova argued that the peacekeeping contingent acts in strict accordance with the provisions of the November 9, 2020 statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and that the visit of Armenians MPs was not pre-agreed with the peacekeepers' command. 

"We expect that in view of the incidents that have taken place both in the area of Russian peacekeepers' responsibility and on certain sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, both sides will refrain from steps that could further aggravate the situation in the region," she noted. 

The Armenian opposition MPs from Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions claim, however, that the ban was engineered by Armenian authorities as part of their secret agreements with Azerbaijan. -0-