Russia does not understand the emotional reaction of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about foreign mercenaries in Nagorno-Karabakh. A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS on Thursday. A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS .

“To be honest, we do not quite understand the emotional reaction of the respected Ilham Heydarovich Aliyev to the comment of Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov,” the agency’s interlocutor said. “Maybe the presidential aides showed him someone else’s material, or presented their own interpretation.”

The source recalled the exact quote from Lavrov’s interview to the Kommersant newspaper on 3 November: “We are, of course, concerned about the internationalization of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the involvement of militants from the Middle East. We have repeatedly called on external players to use their capabilities to suppress the transfer of mercenaries, whose numbers are in the conflict zone. According to available data, it is already approaching two thousand. This topic, in particular, was raised by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 27 October, in regular contacts with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia. We persistently continue to promote our position on various channels “.

The source noted that Moscow has always approached its role as a mediator in a conflict that is very sensitive to Russia’s countries with the utmost care. “President Aliyev himself has repeatedly stated this. We reaffirm our commitment to promoting a peaceful, politico-diplomatic settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At the same time, we remain convinced that the penetration of mercenary militants into the Caucasus threatens the stability and security of all countries in the region, including Azerbaijan and Russia,” the interlocutor summed up.