Lavrov: Moscow ready to assist Yerevan and Baku in border demarcation processes

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday expressed Moscow’s willingness to assist Armenia and Azerbaijan in border demarcation activities.

At a press conference held jointly with Nebeela Tunis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, the Russian top diplomat said his country sees “absolutely no reason” to stir up emotions between Yerevan and Baku.

“There have been no shootings and clashes. We sat down in peace to start agreeing on plans for settling this situation. We were asked for assistance, which our servicemen did provide, and an arrangement was subsequently reached. I do not see any reason for stirring up emotions in this non-standard yet calm situation,” Lavrov said, citing recent Azerbaijani reports describing the recent incursions as “just a misunderstanding”.

“And that, most importantly, [occurred] under conditions of a non-existent border, which should have been delimited and demarcated. Nobody ever handled [the problem], so we proposed that the sides themselves embark on such activities. We are ready to offer them our assistance,” RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.