Baku voices indignation to Russian FM

As Bako Saakyan’s visit to Moscow has raised a wave of displeasure in Baku, Russian Foreign Ministry didn’t take long to explain the situation.

However, the explanation was vague and not solid at all. The facts noted by Russian representative included that this visit was not of official character.

"If this is really a “private” trip of a person from Azerbaijan to Russia, were the appropriate requirements for crossing the state border of Russia applied to him, primarily regarding the presentation of a valid document issued in accordance with the legislation of Azerbaijan?" Leyla Abdullayeva, acting head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told Trend on November 30.

She said that following the logic of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s commentary, Bako Saakyan came to rest on Lake Baikal, and not to Moscow, where he held his meetings as a so-called “head” of an illegal entity created in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan as a result of the use of force and the conduct of total ethnic cleansing.

"This step of the Russian side does not correspond to the high level of current relations between Azerbaijan and Russia," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said commenting on the situation.

The Ministry referred to the “Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Security” concluded between the two countries.

Speaking of Russian Foreign Ministry’s commentary, Abdullayeva said that if an international treaty of the Russian Federation establishes other rules than those provided by law, then the rules of an international treaty apply.

As for Russia's mediation mission, Abdullayeva noted that the document defining the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs clearly states that co-chairs will be guided by the principles and norms of the OSCE, the UN Charter, the decisions of the OSCE forums, the decision of the Council of Ministers of March 24, 1992, and in particular the decision of the Budapest Summit, as well as the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Note that four UN Security Council resolutions and two UN General Assembly resolutions prescribing unconditional and immediate withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani regions, normalization of relations with the provision of security measures, opening of communications and return of refugees, and only then, in a peaceful atmosphere, with the participation of representatives of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, determination of its status.

Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, at a briefing in Moscow commented on the visit of Bako Saakyan, ”head” of occupied Karabakh to Moscow.

“This trip cannot be considered otherwise than private, its status is obvious, it does not contradict either Russian legislation, nor the existing international agreements, nor Russia's mediation mission in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. Therefore, the claims against Russia, which were expressed in a recent statement by the Azerbaijani side, are, from our point of view, unfounded,” said Zakharova.

Bako Saakyan visited Moscow on November 24, where he met with representatives of the Armenian community. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, in response, said that the permission given to Saakyan for entering Russian territory undermines efforts to advance the negotiation process.